The Backyard Beekeeper, 4th Edition: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden

I cannot imagine a better resource to start beekeeping with than this book. It is great quality, cheap, easy to read, has all information you will run into in your first year, has pictures with captions, etc. I’ve watched YouTube videos for months, thinking that would be enough - boy, was I wrong. This book has taught me so many things. It has such great linear pace, information, etc. I saw other reviews harping on it that it talked about Varroa too much. I can tell you right now, those are not going to be good beekeepers. If a disease killed 90% of humans, I would not go to a doctor that got bored of a 200 page picture book that talked about it too much. I am on page 140 and there hasn’t been a dedicated section to Varroa yet, which I’m kind of bummed about. Great read. Don’t know how it could be better.

This book has nice colors and a good weight to it. Full of pretty pictures and core knowledge

We are grateful for a couple very helpful mentors. There is no substitute for that. Please don’t use a book in place of a real life experienced beekeeper! That having been said, this book is great. It’s very easy to follow and worded very clearly . I highly recommend this for a new beekeeper!

I just got the book today and have thumbed through it looks like a solid read and cant wait to get into it. The only bad thing is it arrived damaged.

I got the second edition of this a year before I started bee keeping and read it cover to cover several times. The 3rd edition came with a beginner-all-inclusive kit I got the next year when I started keeping bees. I also took 2 beginning bee keeper courses - one at MSU and one on-line, and both seemed to follow this book almost chapter by chapter. Now I always get the updated version. Well written, up to date, great information for the beginning hobby bee keeper. This is my go-to bible. It should be the first book in any bee keeper’s library (in my opinion). The science of bee keeping is constantly changing. This book keeps me appraised of changing recommendations. If you’re thinking of bee keeping or just interested in learning about bee keeping, this is the place to start. I’ve compared this with several other books for the hobby bee keeper and none seem as simple and strait forward.

This book is great for anyone considering getting into beekeeping. You really need to know what you are getting into. It is NOT "get bees and get honey". But you should also join a local beekeeping organization and take lessons, get a mentor, etc. Your bees (and wallet) will thank you.

If you are are interested in beekeeping and need a general overlay of what beekeepers done in managing an apiary, then this book is a great starting point. As a NC certified beekeeper, I have reviewed many books about beekeeping. This... is the book I chose to use as a student guide for a new Backyard Beekeeping course I will "bee" at the local Community College, starting in Aug 2021. Kim Flottum gives a great overview for someone interested in becoming a beekeeper, nor just a person who keeps bees.

As a beekeeper and will be teaching new Beekeepers I selected this book

perfect for starters

This is an excellent reference book for anyone interested in keeping bees. It's very comprehensive, well-organized and profusely illustrated with great photographs. Very appealing format. Purchased as a Christmas gift for someone who has kept bees for 2 years with good success. He could hardly put this book down om Christmas Day! It is chock full of valuable information & is an excellent resource for any beekeeping enthusiast. Highly recommend!

Fantastic book! Very useful and well researched

A very informative book, would recommend to any beginner.

Muito hom