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The Beekeeper's Handbook

Fourth Edition, June 2011

Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile

With forward by Dewey M. Caron

Adapted from promotional materials:

From the foreword 

Beginners will find The Beekeeper s Handbook a joy, and more seasoned beekeepers will find rereading of benefit as they continue to master the art and science of bee colony care. Dewey M. Caron

Praise for the third edition 

The Beekeeper's Handbook has guided thousands of beginning and advanced beekeepers in the how-tos of this entertaining and profitable pastime. Simply put, it is the best of the best of beekeeping books. Roger A. Morse 

An updated and expanded volume that goes into ... all practical aspects of beekeeping. Superbly illustrated. Northeastern Naturalist

A comprehensive, well-illustrated introduction for beginners and a valuable reference for the experienced beekeeper. The book outlines options for each operation within beekeeping, listing advantages and disadvantages of each alternative. 

AB Bookman s Weekly

The text is presented in a very readable way, and the diagrams are some of the clearest I have seen for a long time. Bee Craft

An elegant reference book with beautiful illustrations. Whole Earth

Since 1973, tens of thousands of first-time and experienced beekeepers alike have relied on The Beekeeper's Handbook as the best single-volume guide to the hobby and profession of beekeeping. Featuring clear descriptions and authoritative content, this handbook provides step-by-step directions accompanied by more than 100 illustrations for setting up an apiary, handling bees, and working throughout the season to maintain a healthy colony of bees and a generous supply of honey. This book explains the various colony care options and techniques, noting advantages and disadvantages, so that beekeepers can make the best choices for their own hives. This fourth edition has been thoroughly redesigned, expanded, updated, and revised to incorporate the latest information on Colony Collapse Disorder, green IPM methods, regional overwintering protocols, and procedures for handling bees and managing diseases and pests such as African honey bees and bee mites. The book explains not only how but also why each step is part of the transformative process that results in the magnificent creation of honey. This essential guide is a beekeeper s most valuable resource. 

Colony Collapse Disorder has renewed our recognition of the importance of small-scale beekeeping and the critical role of bees in the production of our food supply. For the growing number of beekeepers looking to set up hives for either a rewarding hobby or a profitable commercial enterprise, this updated and revised essential how-to guide includes:

step-by-step directions for all stages from setting up an apiary to harvesting honey;

approximately 100 illustrations featuring techniques, equipment, and bee biology;

information about how to manage new pests and diseases including Colony Collapse Disorder;

coverage of new trends and changes in beekeeping including green IPM techniques and new laws for urban beekeeping;

the most up-to-date bibliography and list of resources on the topic; and

a new user-friendly book design that clearly highlights instructions and other important features.

About the Authors

Diana Sammataro is Research Entomologist at the USDA-ARS Carl Hayden Honey Bee Research Center in Tucson, Arizona, where her research focuses on beneficial microbes and bee nutritional problems, managing parasitic mites of bees and Colony Collapse Disorder, and following the pollination of crops from almonds to apples.

Alphonse Avitabile is a longtime beekeeper and Emeritus Professor of Biology at the University of Connecticut, Waterbury. Dewey M. Caron is a retired Professor and Extension Entomologist in the Department of Entomology at the University of Delaware. He is the author of Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping.

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Honey Bee Hobbyist  $14.95 + $3.00 shipping = $17.95 postpaid USA.


(From promotional materials). Beekeeping isn't just for the professional farmer—bees can be kept in any situation from the simple backyard patio and garden to large expanses of farm land. This comprehensive and attractive beekeeping guide, from Hobby Farm Press, takes readers from finding their bees, housing them, collecting honey and using their produce for pleasure and possible profit. This colorful book, including entertaining chapters on the history of bees and beekeeping, serves as an extensive introduction to help novice beekeepers fully understand this exciting hobby!

About the Author

Norman Gary received his PhD degree in Apiculture (the scientific study and management of honeybees), a very rare degree in the field of Entomology. After 3 years of postdoctoral research at Cornell, he joined the faculty at the University of California (Davis Campus) in 1962 as a professor and research scientist, a career that would last 32 years. Norman has published over 100 scientific papers and chapters in 4 books. Beginning in the ‘60s, he developed a secondary career in the entertainment world as a “bee wrangler,” training his favorite insect to perform in action scenes in movies, television shows, and commercials. He did bee scenes in 18 movies, working with about 40 well-known movie stars, appeared as a guest in more than 70 television shows, did 6 commercials with bees. Norman is also an accomplished musician, playing professionally for 45 years, including his own Dixieland band, the Beez Kneez Jazz Band. He holds two Guinness world records for bee stunts. He was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Radio and Television Artists, and 10 other professional organizations. Norman is currently retired, after raising two children with his wife in Citrus Heights, CA.

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Honeybee Democracy [Hardcover]  $29.95 + $3.00 shipping = $32.95 postpaid in USA.

Thomas D. Seeley 

I have been a follower of Professor Seeley's research and books since I saw his first research on the nature of honey bee swarms in the 1970s. In his third book he pulls many of his research stories into a lucid and exciting review of the science of bee swarms and how bees make decisions. Highly recommended for beekeeper and animal lover/student alike. A must read for every beekeeper.— LJConnor

(from promotional materials): Honeybees make decisions collectively--and democratically. Every year, faced with the life-or-death problem of choosing and traveling to a new home, honeybees stake everything on a process that includes collective fact-finding, vigorous debate, and consensus building. In fact, as world-renowned animal behaviorist Thomas Seeley reveals, these incredible insects have much to teach us when it comes to collective wisdom and effective decision making. A remarkable and richly illustrated account of scientific discovery, Honeybee Democracy brings together, for the first time, decades of Seeley's pioneering research to tell the amazing story of house hunting and democratic debate among the honeybees.

In the late spring and early summer, as a bee colony becomes overcrowded, a third of the hive stays behind and rears a new queen, while a swarm of thousands departs with the old queen to produce a daughter colony. Seeley describes how these bees evaluate potential nest sites, advertise their discoveries to one another, engage in open deliberation, choose a final site, and navigate together--as a swirling cloud of bees--to their new home. Seeley investigates how evolution has honed the decision-making methods of honeybees over millions of years, and he considers similarities between the ways that bee swarms and primate brains process information. He concludes that what works well for bees can also work well for people: any decision-making group should consist of individuals with shared interests and mutual respect, a leader's influence should be minimized, debate should be relied upon, diverse solutions should be sought, and the majority should be counted on for a dependable resolution.

An impressive exploration of animal behavior, Honeybee Democracy shows that decision-making groups, whether honeybee or human, can be smarter than even the smartest individuals in them.

Larry Connor, Ph.D.
Wicwas Press
1620 Miller Road
Kalamazoo, MI 49001 USA
Cell 269-344-8027--NOTE -- This changed 2010 09 19

www.wicwas.com

Author: Lawrence John Connor 

Publisher: Wicwas Press

Publication Date: December 2009

100 pages with 167 full color photographs, 6 x 9 inches 

Retail Price: $23.00

In this post-varroa, post-Colony Collapse Syndrome era, beekeepers everywhere are developing localized, mite-resistant bee stocks. Key to this is their ability to raise queen cells and queens. Bee Culture/American Bee Journal author Larry Connor describes a very successful queen rearing method using Starter and Finisher colonies. Connor also wrote Increase Essentials and Bee Sex Essentials.

The book is organized as follows: Queen and Colony Evaluation, Queen Marking and Clipping, Biology of Cell Production, Cell Starting, Making Queen Cells, Cell Development, Cell Finishing, Drone Production, Nucleus Production/Cells, Evaluating New Queens, and Cells and Queens Only — A look at a large-scale queen operation.

“Detailed and practical manual” A “must-have for every beekeeper” filled with “astounding photographs.”

Connor: Bee Sex Essentials. $25 (includes US Media Postage)

“Every beekeeper should have a copy on his desk or in his library.” — Richard Adee

Bee Culture/American Bee Journal writer Dr. Larry Connor reviews the latest and essential knowledge of drone and queen production, mating and genetics. He clearly and concisely shows how the sex life of bees directly impacts the fate of the colony. In turn, this affects the success of the beekeeper. He outlines a sample bee breeding program for a sideline beekeeper with under 100 colonies who wants to produce queens from survivor, locally-adapted, hygienic and mite-resistant strains of bees. Drawing on his experience operating the Starline and Midnite hybrid programs, he advocates dramatic changes in the way beekeepers obtain quality queens by utilizing locally produced late spring and summer queens. The book adds to the body of knowledge presented in Increase Essentials, below.

Comments about Bee Sex Essentials:

“Fantastic!  . . . This book, Bee Sex Essentials, provides not only the background information necessary to understand honey bee genetics and breeding, it also contains a wealth of pratical information in how to put what we know to good use.”
                                      —Dr. David Tarpy, North Carolina State University

“Well done. A scientific book written from a beekeeper’s perspective. Easy to read and understand. It covers all the biological facets of the honeybee, especially those associated with queen rearing. Every beekeeper should have a copy on his desk or in his library.”
          —Richard Adee, Adee Honey Farms, Bruce, SD (the world’s largest beekeeping firm).

Connor: Increase Essentials.  $18 (includes US Media Postage)

This new 128-page book started from Bee Culture articles, but were extensive edited, revised, refined to reach a wide beekeeping audience. Many new photos were taken just for the book. It is a practical look at various methods to increase your colony holdings, and how other beekeepers do it. Suggests standards for nucleus colonies. Shows how beekeepers are wintering nuclei and using or selling them the next spring. Well illustrated. the reviews (below)on this book strongly suggest this is a book to buy to grow your bee business!

Comments about Increase Essentials:

"I picked this book up from Ben Chadwick one weekend and couldn't put it down. This is the best new  beekeeping book I have read."

We are currently being blasted with the message that we northern beekeepers need to stop relying on Southern bred queens and packages. In order to do this we will need to sucessful Northern queen breeders and to learn how to make summer nucs to supply ourselves and others with spring bees.

Increase Essentials should be your handbook for success next year. It is just the right size, contains all the necessary information and is guaranteed to teach you something about bees you didn't already know. Each chapter is concise and well written, simplifing the process for the beginner and the "it's too much for me to do" older beekeeper (you know who you are). You don't have to get involved in grafting larvae to be successful in improving your survivor stock and growing your own operation. This book walks you through your options.

Larry has written some great articles in the recent issues of Bee Culture and this book lets some of his sense of humor shine through much like the articles. Larry is a scientist but also a practical beekeeper so his advise is tailor made for all of us.

For the serious beekeeper this book is Essential.

Review by Wendy Booth, Editor
Pawtuckaway Beekeepers Association, Monthly Newsletter, September 2006
www.pawtuckawaybeekeepers.org
h2ofront@comcast.net


"An outstanding addition to beekeeping literature. It reminds me of the style of Dr. C.C. Miller."

"I just received your book in Saturday's mail and have read it completely. It is an out standing addition to beekeeping literature. It reminds me of the style of Dr. C.C. Miller and I enjoy the information and I will be turning to it often. I will also recommend it to beekeepers. It is a book which can be read over and over and each time, something new emerges. I liked your approach to include all beekeepers from beginners to commercial.
I will put this book on the must have list on my web site."

—Dana Stahlman, Blacklick, Ohio, stahlmanapiaries@aol.com

"Provided new ideas for improving our bee farm"

"Just finished reading your new book and wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed it. It affirmed many of the things I am doing and provided new ideas for improving our bee farm. Your articles are a favorite of mine as you have the rare expertise of combining academic and real life experience that rings true in your writing and opinions. I look forwrd to seeing you at future bee meetings."

"I will be  recommending your book to bee clubs as I visit them."

—Dan Conlon, Warm Colors Apiary, Deerfield, MA, warmcolors@version.net.

Doolittle: A Year in an Out-Apiary. $23 (includes US Media Postage)

Delightfully reformatted and supplemented with a table of contents, index and an interview by E.R. Root, this reprint reviews Doolittle’s out-apiary experiences in 1905. His automobile was new, but his queen and increase methods are still very useful a century later. For example, he explains how he uses a queen excluder to make up new colonies with all nurse bees so he does not need to move the hive to a new apiary and risk loosing the field bees, thus weakening the hive.