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Since 2002, Ed Colby has amused, inspired and occasionally educated beekeepers with his Bottom Board column in Bee Culture magazine. With a blend of humor and pathos, he shares not only his remarkable adventures with God’s favorite insect but also reflects on friendship, love, life, death, and the fickle winds of fortune. Ed grew up in Brazil, Montana, Mexico and…
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This is the first English edition of an important book on "Honey bee alchemy" by a Polish researcher. An entirely original, unparalleled work dedicated to the mysterious aspects of the life of bees, the magical properties of the products they produce, and the chemical composition associated with their medicinal properties. This book will be of great interest to beekeepers where…
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"Lip balm is the ideal product to start with when you are learning to make cosmetics. A simple mixture made with just a few ingredients ensures you will have a usable balm after your first attempt. When I introduce beekeepers to making cosmetics, I often begin with lip balm. An almost fool-proof cosmetic, lip balm making builds confidence in the…
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John, Anita and Gill are likeminded hobbyist beekeepers that live in adjoining villages bordering West Berkshire and South Oxfordshire. They meet up regularly for support and to discuss all aspects of beekeeping. Of course discussions on swarming are always a hot topic! Join them for their take on the observational writings of Walter Wright, a retired NASA engineer, and his…
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The beginner as well as the experienced professional will garner a hive full of information from Applied Beekeeping in the United States. Honeybee information has been compiled and published in book form in hopes that beekeepers in the United States and worldwide will benefit. There are many topics in this book not contained in more theoretical books and through 342…
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An enticing illustrated look at pollination, one of the most astonishing marvels of the natural world. Pollination is essential to the survival of most plants on Earth. Some plants rely on the wind to transport pollen from one flower to another. Others employ an array of ingenious strategies to attract and exploit pollinators, whether they be insects, birds, or mammals.…
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The accidental introduction of the Asian hornet or more accurately the yellow-legged hornet into France and South Korea over ten years ago and its subsequent spread to neighbouring countries has been worrying both governments and beekeepers alike. Many people are now seeking more information on this new threat to our beloved honey bees. Hornet biology is very different to that…
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Robin Dartington made his first Long Deep hives around 1975, to reduce the problems when keeping bees on the roof of a five-storey house. Very simply, the Long Deep hive is a Deep National with a back extension, so avoiding the need for an extra hive when making an artificial swarm. New Beekeeping has now been developed into a comprehensive…
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Honey bees carrying pollen are a familiar sight to anyone who has watched them collecting it from flowers or bringing it back to a hive. But which kinds of pollen do they use, how do they find it, and what do they use it for? Environmental pressures on all pollinating insects, including honey bees, mean that questions like these have…
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Since varroa arrived in Europe and America in the 1980's, most beekeepers have found it necessary to treat their colonies with chemicals in order to avoid heavy colony losses. But a minority of beekeepers have managed to care for their colonies without the use of chemicals and have done so with not just tolerable colony losses, but with losses that…
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A most important book on breeding, mating behaviour, selection and all aspects of the native British bee by a GIANT of beekeeping. This classic title, long out of print, has now been reissued by the Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders Association. Beowulf Cooper was one of the founding members of The Bee Improvement & Bee Breeders' Association (BIBBA) and responsible for…
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• Do bees sleep? • What is in bee poo? • Do they have knees? • What about the ‘birds and the bees’? • Why do bees have a hump? Many of the honeybee's life mysteries are answered here .. Micrographs of pests in your honey and diseases in the hive .. Some contentious thoughts on the future management of…
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Native stingless bees are one of nature's most wonderful gifts. Our passion is native beekeeping, and we enjoy making it easy for others to gain the knowledge and confidence to look after and be enriched by these fabulous little creatures. This is the sole purpose for preparing this guide. Based on my own years of experience and those of my…
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ZEST (Zero Energy SusTainable) "Beekeepers require a user friendly hive that helps the bees keep warm in Winter, stops them ver heating in the Summer and reduces the risk of varroa and bee related diseases. It must be economical to buy, easy to construct, have minimal maintenance and storage issues, be a hive that is sustainable, that gives the bees…
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An Efficient Production of Bee Colonies is written by Flemming B. Thorsen, a commercial bee-keeper who concentrates on breeding pure Danish Buckfast bees. There are no pure English Buckfast bees in Denmark anymore, but he continues to use the methods of Brother Adam from Buckfast Abbey in England. Flemming is a commercial queen breeder and produces many new colonies every…
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"I commend this book to not only experienced beekeepers who would like to transition to a more bee-friendly approach, but also beginners who, while having access in some form to instruction about basic beekeeping, do not want to be steered into the conventional, mechanistic apiculture that new generations of beekeepers are increasingly finding unsatisfactory." David Heaf - Author of The…
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“I didn't want to put it down. It would make a lovely gift for a gentle read at Christmas.” Margaret Ginman - Bee Farmer, Book Review: October 2020. Beekeeper and garden historian Lotte Moller explores the activities inside and outside the hive while charting the bees' natural order and habits. With a light touch she uses her encyclopaedic knowledge of…
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Want to do your part in helping your local pollinators flourish? Pollinator Friendly Gardening makes it easy. Are you interested in growing a naturally healthy garden? How about making sure your local environment helps bees, butterflies, and birds survive and thrive? If you are a beekeeper, are you looking for the ideal plants to keep your colony happy? Pollinators such…
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A topbar hive is both ancient technology and newfangled trend. The main reason this "back-to-basics" hive is finding new supporters is its more natural approach to keeping bees and the novel concept of stepping back and allowing honeybees to make more of the hive decisions themselves. A topbar hive is, in itself, "thinking outside the box", not only because of…
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These lectures were given by Rudolf Steiner to the workmen employed on the building of the Goetheanum. For some years Rudolf Steiner had almost every week devoted an hour to the spiritual welfare of those who laboured, whether as masons, smiths, plasterers or joiners, etc., in the erection of the building he had planned. They were an expression of the…
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Russian Honey Bees are a stock of honey bees that were bred to be resistant to Varroa mites and have good beekeeping functionality for both honey production and pollination. This book describes the project to produce the Russian honey bee stock, conducted over 20 years of work by the combined efforts of scientists and beekeepers. Practical information on the management…
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Ar ndóigh, chuala muid uilig go bhfuil obair na mbeach ar cheann de na nithe is deacra a thuiscint, ach ní mór a rá go bhfuil an-iarracht déanta sa leabhar seo tabhairt faoi. Is é atá ann scéal triúr fear agus a gcuid iarrachtaí bonn a chur faoin mbeachaireacht ar bhánta na Mí. Cuntas cuimsitheach atá sa leabhar seo ar…
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Jay is an imaginative bee scientist who communicates clearly using every-day language. His book is an absorbing, provocative, entertaining and uplifting read. Scientific research sometimes produces information that is difficult to take advantage of in practice; until later translational research fills the gaps enabling us to understand the fuller picture. Thus, we tend to progress in waves as initial frustration…
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This is a practical book written in a simple manner to make it understandable for beekeepers while still maintaining the principles and rules of pollen identification in honey. It also contains valuable information for expert melissopalynologists. It is designed after an intensive work in field observation of bee foraging, preparation & photographing pollen of the observed flora, searching in hundreds…
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Whether you're interested in creating beauty products for yourself or for profit, Making and Selling Cosmetics is for you. The author, Dr Sara Robb, has over 15 years of experience as a cosmetics formulator and specializes in products containing honey and beeswax. Each booklet provides an easy to-follow recipe and a step-by-step guide on how to meet the requirements to…
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This book is the first general overview of beekeeping and the honey trade in Sub-Saharan Africa, based on long-term ethnographic fieldwork in the Adamaoua Region of Central Cameroon. In the book you will find a detailed ethnographic account of the manifold connections between humans, bees and honey. The book is aimed at the academic community, as well as at beekeepers…
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Raise your own superior queens and you’ll never need to buy bees again! This fully illustrated guide makes self-sufficient beekeeping accessible to everyone: • Detailed, easy to understand practical advice. • Simple, time-tested techniques. • All hive models: vertical and horizontal. • Many methods to choose from. • Every step clearly explained. • Successful breeding, mating, and queen introduction. •…
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This book concentrates only on the drone - the male honey bee. It provides details regarding the drone's internal and external anatomy, production and development, behaviour, role in the hive, genetics and more. Copiously illustrated, the book also discusses the latest research updates on drones. Graham Kingham is a retired mechanical quality engineer who keeps a few hives in Devon.…
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This book is based on a lecture "Honeybee Anatomy" which was first given at the BBKA Spring Convention 2009 held in Stoneleigh. It provides a close up look at the external and internal structures of the honeybee. The majority of photos were taken using a digital camera mounted on a trinocular dissection microscope. Dissection of the bee to study the…
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Jay is an imaginative bee scientist who communicates clearly using every-day language. His book is an absorbing, provocative, entertaining and uplifting read. Scientific research sometimes produces information that is difficult to take advantage of in practice; until later translational research fills the gaps enabling us to understand the fuller picture. Thus, we tend to progress in waves as initial frustration…
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Since its release in 1999, Honey Bee Biology & Beekeeping has become a widely accepted textbook of apiculture. Universities use it to teach college students beekeeping and beekeepers use it to teach other beekeepers. It concentrates on the ‘why’, ‘how’ and ‘when’ of beekeeping. It explains bee and beekeeping basics in a manner meaningful to people who lack an intensive…
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Now in its 36th year of publication, the Annual is the longest running Annual in the history of British beekeeping. It serves as a reference source, a diary, a hive record resource (which will prove invaluable throughout the year) and a set of articles guaranteed to entertain and amuse. The perfect stocking filler for the enthusiastic beekeeper.
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From crayons to cough drops, cookies to candles, Beehive Alchemy is a comprehensive introduction to incorporating the miracle of bees into everyday life. With this new book, beekeepers (and bee lovers) will learn about the benefits and attributes of beeswax, honey, propolis, and more as they're introduced to a full range of projects and techniques to process and harness the…
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"Trish Nelson is to be commended on compiling this brilliant book. Whether you are happy with the type of hive and style of management you use, if you are trying to decide which is best suited to your particular situation and needs, or if you are just plain curious, this book will answer all of your questions and satisfy your…
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Paolo Fontana's book was first published in Italian in 2017. It has, I understand, sold several thousand copies which is quite remarkable for a specialist book on bees. I have had a career spanning academia, education and publishing. It is not surprising, therefore, that I have done a lot of reading and I love books. Indeed I still add to…
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The collapse of the ubiquitous honey bee population during the past 20 years has caused a pollination vacuum for many crops. Surveys and grower experience indicate that a crisis exists in our pollinator populations. This book is an accessible, practical and authoritative research-based guide to using bees for crop pollination. It emphasises conserving feral bee populations as well as more…
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While social bees such as honey bees and bumble bees are familiar to most people, they comprise less than 10 percent of all bee species in the world. The vast majority of bees lead solitary lives, surviving without the help of a hive and using their own resources to fend off danger and protect their offspring. This book draws on…
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Solitary bees and other beneficial insects need our help, not just on an international level but in every domestic garden, courtyard and balcony. Creating little homes for insects to lay their eggs in is a really easy way to help the insect population, and at the same time bring wildlife diversity and plant propagation to your outdoor spaces. This book…
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This second edition of the Healthy Hive Guide is provided to help both new and experienced beekeepers identify problems within their honey bee hives. Each of the images has a short explanation; however it is clear that not all problems manifest themselves in exactly the same way every time. It is sometimes enough for beekeepers to recognise that they may…
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Recent years have seen a reintroduction in the use of honey as a modern wound management product. Records found in the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus tell us that honey was used extensively in Egyptian medicine. This dates back to around 1700 BC, but is thought to contain knowledge from a much earlier era, possibly 3000-2500 BC. In the Ebers Papyrus…
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Dr. Hood was in an enviable position that enabled him to visit many beekeepers and situations with bees. The reader is introduced to some very interesting and creative beekeepers and Dr. Hood's intertwined explanations of the honey bee's life, along with other relatives such as yellowjackets, make this book useful for a broad range of readers. Prepare to be amused…
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Liz Westcott has been keeping bees since 2005 and runs about 20 colonies in Brixham, Devon. Inspired by the bees to enter the Poetry Class at various local shows, Liz found that she enjoyed writing the poems as much as keeping the bees! She is an active and enthusiastic member of the Torbay Branch of the Devon Beekeepers Association. Liz…
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This slim volume of poems is titled as it is because partly it is about people I have met as a beekeeper and partly because, when I write about bees, I do so rather anthropomorphically, treating them as if people. Many of the poems are about people and incidents in Ireland. Annually I attend the Federation of Irish Beekeepers' Associations'…
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In this hardback book, Adrian Horridge sets out the curious and contentious history of how the visual system of the honeybee came to be understood and how, in his view, the current accepted theory is completely wrong. Based on his own meticulous experimental work and historic analysis of past literature over many years, Horridge tells the story of a century…
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The Latest important book from a world leading scientist! (Hardback, 432 pages) Humans have kept honey bees in hives for millennia, yet only in recent decades have biologists begun to investigate how these industrious insects live in the wild. The Live of Bees is Thomas Seeley's captivating story of what scientists are learning about the behaviour, social life, and survival…
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This hardback book is a new updated edition of the work which was awarded a Gold Medal at the XXXVII Apimondia Congress, Durban 2001. It reviews in great detail the factors responsible for swarming, nest abandonment and related phenomena. This volume is very well researched and listed in its 312 pages over 50 pages of references. Not really suitable for the…
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Around 2004, the Asian or yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) was accidentally imported into southern France from China, and it has spread through western European countries with astonishing speed. Since 2016 there have been incursions into the UK, and these are becoming more frequent as the population on the continent increases in numbers. They could establish themselves in this country…
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This is a biography of particular interest to those in the bee-keeping world. It tells the story of Brian Sherriff, a man born in the late 1920s, who inherited his father’s corset factory and went on to run a bra factory in Cornwall, but lost everything in the recession of the 1970s. Using boning, net and fabric intended for bras,…
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Upon her death in 2007, the New York Times acknowledged that Eva Crane wrote some of the most important books on bees and apiculture. A Book of Honey is one of her seminal works and must be on the shelves of anyone who is serious about understanding honey. Not only does it describe how and why bees make honey, but…
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Beehives might look like seething anarchy at first glance, but bees know exactly what they are doing. The universe of the beehive is an intricately organised, delicately balanced ecosystem. From the queen to the lowliest worker bees, each bee plays its part in the whole. The Honey Factory plunges the reader into the invisible life of a bee colony and…