My friend, Brian, emailed me the other day to inquire about the best beekeeping books for a beginner; and that got me to thinking: What are the best beekeeping books? These are the books I turn to on a regular basis. You may find them equally as helpful.
The Beekeeper’s Handbook (3rd Edition) by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile: I often recommend this book for people who have some experience in beekeeping because of the more complicated management techniques. While the beginner should be able to use this book, it would make more sense to a second-year beekeeper. There are far less complicated books to get you started.
The Backyard Beekeeper: An Absolute Beginner’s Guide by Kim Flottum: The Forsyth County Beekeepers used this book for their annual Bee School this year. This is an excellent book for the beginner, and it includes some beautiful color photography of beekeeping techniques. As an added bonus, it gives the hobbyist some additional recipes and instructions for making different products with honey.
Beekeeping for Dummies by Howland Blackiston: Like the rest of the “For Dummies” series, this book covers a complex topic well. The structure of this book is one of its biggest assets: The navigational aids and lists make this book extremely handy. It also has many photographs (black and white and color) that are useful to the beginner.
The How-To-Do-It Book of Beekeeping by Richard Taylor: I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a copy of this book several years ago before it went out of print. Rumor has it that it’s currently being revised, but I haven’t been able to find any evidence of a release date, just speculation of its return from 2005. Regardless, this is one of my favorites. Taylor provides useful information and a practical approach to beekeeping.
ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture: A new edition was released in 2007, and like its name implies, this book covers just about everything. While it is not ultra specific on some advanced aspects of beekeeping like queen rearing, it does explain bee biology, beekeeping history, and beekeeping practices very well. Containing more pages than the Bible, this book looks intimidating but is actually an approachable resource, and no beekeeper should be without a copy.
The Hive and the Honey Bee: Like ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture, this book is something to behold: It too is a large and expansive work. This is also a book that a good beekeeper should not be without. The only downfall is its dated information on the treatment of honey bee diseases. Much has happened in the world of beekeeping since its last extensive revision (1992), and I’m eagerly awaiting a new edition.
August 6, 2008 • Beekeeping
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