Beekeeping for Dummies (For Dummies Series)

"Beekeeping for Dummies" by Howland Blackiston is an excellent resource for the beginner. I am an aspiring beekeeper in Florida and recently ordered my first hive and package of bees -- they'll arrive later this spring. I knew absolutely nothing about bees or beekeeping, and have no mentor to provide tutorials or support. I watched hours of beekeeping videos on the internet which gave me a decent feel for the hobby, but I needed a comprehensive text to learn many of the fine points. After reading Amazon reviews for many beekeeping how-to guides, I settled on two: this one and "The Complete Step-by-Step Book of Beekeeping" by David Cramp (I reviewed that book separately). In my opinion, Blackiston's "Dummies" is wonderfully easy to read and contains the correct amount of detail without bogging down in esoterica. For example, I learned that a poultry watering device with pebbles in the water (to keep bees from falling in and drowning) will provide a necessary source of water. Alternatively, his watering pail with styrofoam "pebbles" is ingenious. The book is packed with similar sparkling tidbits, e.g.: 1) honey supers are put on the hive about eight weeks after you first install your bees and, in the second year, honey supers are placed on the hive when the first spring flowers start to bloom; 2) use special spacers along the frame rails to space out 9 honey frames equally instead of 10 (the little extra space between frames allows the bees to draw the comb much deeper resulting in more honey in nine frames than there would have been in ten); and 3) dust hands with baby powder before inspections because bees seem to like the smell and it helps keep hands clean. There are wonderfully detailed instructions on how to install your first package of bees in the hive. The "7/10 Rule" is quite helpful, i.e. when 7 of the 10 first deep frames are drawn into comb, add a second deep; when 7 out of 10 of those are drawn into comb, add a honey super; and when 7 of those 10 are drawn into comb, add a second honey super. The book is packed with such practical advice. There are step-by-step recipes for making various supplemental syrups, photos of normal and diseased hives, how to open a hive, and how to rotate a frame in hand during inspection. There's an informative summary table entitled "Beekeeping Calendar" that lists monthly activities according to climate zone (check food reserves, feed colony if capped honey is low, reverse hive bodies, feed a pollen substitute, medicate for AFB, EFB, and nosema, etc.). I live in the warmest Zone D, and was surprised by how different -- and often unexpected -- Zone D recommended activities are compared to the other three zones in the United States. This book is written in a crisp, engaging, very informative style and is illustrated with excellent photos and drawings. Highly recommended for the neophyte.

My first bee keeping book was "The Backyard Beekeeper: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden" by Kim Slottum, which came with my garden hive starter kit. I am going in to my second year of bee keeping, and I ordered "Beekeeping for Dummies" before I installed my 2nd and 3rd hives. It is an excellent book to get a different perspective on the hobby of bee keeping. It is easy to understand and doesn't talk over your head as some books I have seen. The book discusses and array of topics including: the insect itself, equipment, what to look for when doing hive inspections, diseases and pests, honey extraction, making Meade, and recipes for liquid gold. It was a very easy and quick read. As I was reading the book I "dog-eared" many topics to references to at a later date. I would recommend this book for beginners, but don't expect to walk away from this read as a "master beekeeper."

I recently killed hundreds of bees under my workshed because they had build a hive under it through an airway. Couldn't have that now, could I....Still some survived and clustered around an aparant queenless colony wondering what next, on my rooftop. I called a beekeeper and he came and scooped them up into his portable hive and chastised me for such ignorant behavior...And he is a priest to boot. Right then and then, I became a bee advocate. I'm sure I don't need to launch into the rapidly decreasing numbers of honeybees today, since if you're reading this, you already probably know. But being a newly baptized advocate and a physicist as well, I therefore suffer from both ignorance and arrogance. So what better book than "Beekeeping for Dummies". A. very informative ---- all new to me and dusted with a touch of humor...the author has been around B. Often repeats himself from Chapter to Chapter and not sure why unless he knows I'm ignorant or he just plain forgets..Thus a 4 . C. I crosschecked a lot of his info with real live beekeepers, and tadaa...he's right on D. So should you buy the book? Yes... And if you can wait three months for a less than novice OPINION,,, I would recommend it.. I now have new bees, new queen, and a whole new set of problems with the dog, and the sun, and fiercely protective girls.. By the way, learn how to use your smoker ...it's a great tool but not a whole bunch of info as to temp, and amount and what to burn and how to burn it....also not a g reat deal in this book on it..If you are a pure academic and don't plan to raise bees, just talk about them as if you knew everything, this probably isn't the book for you

Ich habe in diesem Jahr mit der Bienenhaltung begonnen. Auf der Suche nach einem umfassenden und einfach verständlichem Buch bin ich auf diese - leider nur in englisch erhaltbare Version - "Bienenhaltung für Dummies" gestossen. Es enthält alles, was man für den Anfang wissen muss und ist leicht verständlich. Zudem versteht es der Autor, zu begeistern. Ich empfinde es als umfangreicher als die Bücher, die ich im deutschsprachigen Raum erhalten kann. Also, wer es sich zutraut ein wenig in englisch zu schmökern - unbedingt kaufen!

Une bonne livre qui touchent à toutes les sujets principales autour des abeilles. Dommage qu'il n'y a pas de référence aux fournisseurs Européans, (uniquement des fournisseurs des Etats Unis).

Great Book on Beekeeping

Very informative from start to finish,i just keep using it.

I bought this book prior to me starting bee keeping. It's a wealth of information and has enabled me to collect over 90 kg of honey in my first season. It's a great source of information for anyone starting out into beekeeping and one I keep with me always. It is designed for the USA market but with other publications available for your own country it doesn't really make any problems. The information is great for anyone starting out. A good book to have in your library for day to day running of a hive and the equipment needed. The recipes are yummy too! Thanks.