Reddit mentions of The Beekeeper's Handbook

My Books

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Here are the books I have:

Beekeeping

• The Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum
  
• The Beekeeper's Bible by Richard A. Jones & Sharon Sweeney-Lynch
  
  

  History and Biology
  

  
  

• _Letters from the Hive_ by Stephen Buchmann
  
• _Biology of the Honey Bee_ by Mark L. Winston
  
  

  Gardening
  

  
  

• Attracting Native Pollinators by [The Xerces Society](
  https://xerces.org/mission/)
  
• Garden Plants for Honey Bees by Peter Lindtner
  
  
  

  The Wiki
  

  
  ---
  
  Here is the recommended list linked to in the wiki:
  
  

• Beekeeping for Dummies, by Howland Blackiston
  
• The Beekeeper's Handbook, by Diana Sammataro
  
• The Beekeeper's Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses, by Richard Jones
  
• Backyard Beekeeper: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden, by Kim Flottum
  
• Better Beekeeping: The Ultimate Guide to Keeping Stronger Colonies and Healthier, More Productive Bees, by Kim Flottum
  
• The Backyard Beekeeper's Honey Handbook: A Guide to Creating, Harvesting, and Baking with Natural Honeys, by Kim Flottum
  
• Attracting Native Pollinators: The Xerces Society Guide, Protecting North America's Bees and Butterflies, by the Xerces Society
  
  
  If you had to just pick one I would choose between The Backyard Beekeeper and The Beekeeper's Bible.
  
  I also highly suggest doing the following:
  
  
• look to see if beekeeping courses are offered by your state university or local community college and attend a basics beekeeping course
  
• find a local beekeeping club and regularly attend meetings (this will be important not just to learn, but also to be kept up to date about pesticide sprays, diseases to anticipate, and access to expensive machinery like honey extractors)
  
• read all your local laws about beekeeping and follow them

Some of the books on my shelf:
The Beekeeper' Bible, How to Keep Bees and Sell Honey, Beekeeping for Dummies, Natural Beekeeping, The Backyard Beekeeper, The Beekeeper's Handbook.

I think the best bang for your buck, and certainly the one that helped me most, is The Beekeeper's Handbook, 4th Edition. It includes the most recent available data on pests and diseases (although I think I noticed that microscopic images of 2 diseases were reversed... I have to check that again). It discusses, in a really straightforward, textbook-like style, castes and life cycles of bees and their pests, 4-season best practices for management, all the way up to honey extraction and marketing. It mainly deals with Langstroth hives, which is typical. Other styles are introduced, however, and people who are interested can find additional resources.
Natural Beekeeping is a good complement, as it deals strictly with organic beekeeping. Even if you can't go totally organic (I live near non-organic orchards, so it's a joke for me), it's wise to know what options exist so you can do what you can.
Beekeeper's Bible has some great info about early beekeeping and bee symbolism, along with some recipes for foods and salves - but most of that is pretty easily researched online.
I hate anything "For Dummies", How to Keep Bees is pretty outdated, Backyard has good info but feels like it's shilling for a certain supplier and I don't think the math works out for using 8-frame hives instead of 10-frame.
tl;dr This: [http://www.amazon.com/The-Beekeepers-Handbook-Fourth-Edition/dp/0801476941/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334286109&sr=8-1]

I'm new - I don't have my bees yet, they're on order - but I've been studying like mad. I'm an IT consultant who swings between tons of typewritten and moderate amounts of handwritten notes, and that's likely to translate into my beekeeping life.

I've written all of one beekeeping post so far: The waiting is the hardest part (Beekeeping part 1), and it's just a status update and a bare few notes.

BUT I'm underlining my copy of The Beekeeper's Handbook like crazy, and I'll probably go back and make notes out of that!

Check out some documentaries, it will give you stuff to think about. Vanishing of the Bees, Queen of the Sun...I believe both of those are on Netflix.

One of my favorites is Nova's Tales from the Hive...check on YouTube, there was a high-res version in three 20-ish minute parts. These crazy film makers put surgical cameras on bees! It gives you a great perspective of things from the bees' POV.

Edit...Here are links to the best version!
Part one: http://youtu.be/SjfJVYC_TJg
Part two: http://youtu.be/8Qx_f3ZIrwo
Part three: http://youtu.be/fM_fcVCRKew

Another great book, although very scientific, is the Beekeeper's Handbook (http://www.amazon.com/The-Beekeepers-Handbook-Diana-Sammataro/dp/0801476941).

I've been meaning to read Honeybee Democracy but haven't gotten around to it. In fact, I'm going to get on Amazon and see if there is a Kindle version right now. (Edit: yay, there is! There wasn't the last time I looked: http://www.amazon.com/Honeybee-Democracy-Thomas-D-Seeley-ebook/dp/B0046A9M68/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405486484&sr=1-1&keywords=Honeybee+democracy)

I'm also going to come back and edit with links...edited to add, I did 😊

Thank you! In Pennsylvania last winter there was roughly a 50% die off for hobbyists, so I figured I’d start with 1 hive to focus on and learn as much as I can from and hope for the best. I was ecstatic to find they did well.
You can do it! You just have to take the leap. Find a location, buy materials for 2 supers, buy your necessities, buy your bees, and, most importantly, buy a good bee book (I highly recommend The Beekeeper’s Handbook by Diana Sammataro) and start learning as much as you can as soon as possible. My father-in-law has been farming for almost 2 decades, and he jokingly commented last summer that I know more about bees after a few months than he knows about cows after X number of years. It was funny and a compliment, but you need to know bee behavior and be able to recognize what this buzzing super organism of thousands of bees is trying to tell you.
Just do it! Get started! It’s a highly rewarding hobby, and the tangible fruits of your labors are delicious haha.

Oh, and never let your smoker go out when the bees are starting to get pissy. Just trust me on that one.

When I got back into beekeeping, a professional beekeeper insisted I read The Beekeeper's Handbook by Sammataro and Avitabile (https://www.amazon.com/Beekeepers-Handbook-Diana-Sammataro/dp/0801476941). It's an excellent, no nonsense textbook for keeping bees, and one that I now recommend to people that need a resource. Edit: hyperlink

I don't think there's a consensus on the "best" book. I'm reading The Beekeeper's Handbook at the moment, and it's very good.

Natural Beekeeping is also quite good, if you want to try a more natural approach.

remember, in lots of ways it's an art. there's a science to it too, but also an art. Get this book, it's really good: http://www.amazon.com/The-Beekeepers-Handbook-Fourth-Edition/dp/0801476941/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1345733249&sr=8-2&keywords=beekeeping

I would always recommend people start with 'The Compleat Meadmaker, by Ken Schramm'. This has been the meadmaking bible for a very long time. You can find supplementary information about staggered nutrient additions, pH buffering compounds, new sanitizers, etc online in various articles and forum sites. Of course, understanding your ingredients can also be very good for any brewer, and water is a huge ingredient. So besides the other element series book 'Yeast' by Christ White and Jamil Zainasheff I highly recommend 'Water' by John Palmer and Colin Kaminski. For those of us making mead in Ferndale, our water is a very key ingredient which comes to us from an underground aquifer treated by the city of Ferndale, and is of very high quality (even compared with the high quality water from the City of Detroit). Understanding honey is a huge area of study. There are many classic textbooks on honey and honey-hunting by Eva Crane that are considered primary sources (but these can be prohibitively expensive for most mazers, and honestly, Ken's book does an awesome job of summarizing her contributions, as well as other historical information about meadmaking, honey, etc). I feel a basic understanding of beekeeping can be highly instructive for meadmakers, and so I recommend that you get your hands on some beginner beekeeping books, e.g. 'Beesentials' by L.J. Connor and Robert Muir and/or the 'Beekeeper's Handbook'. A solid background in wine or beer-making doesn't hurt, either, and there are multitudes of books I can recommend to you on the subject of beer specifically (this is my homebrewing background). My two absolute must-haves for beer brewing are 'Designing Great Beers' by Ray Daniels and 'Brewing Classic Styles' by John Palmer and Jamil Zainasheff. Learning to brew beer can help you if you decide you want to try your hand at braggots.

As a noob, I've been reading and acquiring a lot of beekeeping books lately. Here are my thoughts:

"Homegrown Honey Bees" by Alethea Morrison is a nice introductory book that is loaded with photos. It's definitely a gentle intro book more than a reference book.

I really love "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Beekeeping" by Dean Stiglitz and Laurie Herboldsheimer. It covers all the basics and teaches a treatment-free approach. I was put off by the Beekeeping for Dummies book, which repeatedly recommends prophylactic use of chemical treatments.

After that I'd recommend a good reference book that has hive management diagrams, such as "The Beekeeper's Handbook" by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile.

If you're interested in top-bar hives, I would get "Top-Bar Beekeeping: Organic Practices for Honeybee Health" by Les Crowder and Heather Harrell, and "The Thinking Beekeeper: A Guide to Natural Beekeeping in Top Bar Hives" by Christy Hemenway. Backyardhive.com has a great DVD on top-bar hive management.

If you want to geek out on beekeeping history, "The Archaeology of Beekeeping" by Eva Crane is legendary. It's sadly out of print and very expensive to buy. I found it at the library.

Probably want to wait until spring for the bees. In the meantime, do some reading. This is a pretty good book for beekeeping in general. http://www.amazon.com/Beekeepers-Handbook-Fourth-Diana-Sammataro/dp/0801476941

http://www.thebeeyard.org/ebooks/ has several free books including the penn st one that was mentioned.

i have this one:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Beekeepers-Handbook-Diana-Sammataro/dp/0801476941/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1395340884&sr=8-4&keywords=beekeeping

Seems to be very detailed but not to the point that it is hard to read/understand.

I haven't priced stuff in a long time, but it's not too bad to get one hive up and running. Extracting and bottling the honey is another expense unless you find someone with the equipment. I got my hives and bees from these folks- https://gabees.com/ and most of my other equipment from Mann Lake or Dadant.
For anyone looking to start, this book is a great first purchase-
https://www.amazon.com/Beekeepers-Handbook-Diana-Sammataro/dp/0801476941/ref=sr_1_13?keywords=beekeeping&qid=1574217328&sr=8-13

To become a beekeeper just buy the hives and bees (all that other stuff is really optional). Most states require you to register them.

To become a good beekeeper you should look for your local Beekeeping Assoc or Agricultural extension office and see what classes they offer and start taking them before buying anything. They will help you determine what you need, what works for your area and how to do things in a manner that you hopefully don't lose the bees.

There are no certifications required but there are some out there. The University of Florida has a 5 years Master Beekeeper Program is one. UF also offers 3 different Bee Colleges during the year in two places in the state, and the Caribbean. Local associations hold day courses and Ag offices have done longer multiple session training courses at least in Florida. Look in your area.

You can also start learning on your own. Start with something like The Beekeepers Handbook.

The best advice I can give you is find that local association and start there. They will have experienced beekeepers and be able to point you at local resources.

Here's a list I composed a couple months back. Hope it helps.

Beekeeping - Getting Started

1. Look for and join a local bee club or association
   
2. Verify keeping honey bees is legal on your property
   
3. Verify your allergy, or not, to bee stings
   
4. Shadow a successful Beekeeper for a keeping season to learn. They should have no issue explaining how they run their hives, and what their survival rate is year over year. Buy some protective gear to aid in your menteeship. Get bees the next season.
   
5. Start with two hives and one nuc, if possible. This will allow you to compare hive strength and give you some spare parts.
   
6. The old adage, "ask X beekeepers, get x+1 answers" is shortsighted. Beekeeping is made up of what the biological tendencies and behaviors are for the bees -vs- what our human preferences and goals are when keeping bees. An answer doesn't always match your goals. A biological fact will help you manage your expectations.
   
7. Always know what your time is worth. When learning, building equipment, caretaking for the bees... Please know how to valuate your time. It may not be best to "start from scratch".
   
8. If someone says "I don't have varroa mites" or "I didn't see any mites", question this immediately. Knowing how to calculate your mite load percentage, as well as manage mites, is critical to being a successful Beekeeper.
   
   
   
   --Video and Channels--
   
   University of Guelph Beekeeping Channel- A digestible lesson style format for beekeeping of all levels. Very logically made and of high quality.
   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3mjpM6Av4bxbxps_Gh5YPw
   
   Devan Rawn
   https://www.youtube.com/user/devanwatchesvlogs
   
   Jason Chrisman
   https://www.youtube.com/user/creekroad1
   
   Michael Palmer
   https://www.frenchhillapiaries.com/videos/
   
   NY Bee Wellness Group (many visiting speakers of all types. Tons of great material)-
   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7iM0M1_IwQPIKSpdMnCLjQ
   
   David Haught (Barnyard Bees)
   https://www.youtube.com/user/davidhaught84
   
   Alcohol mite wash-
   https://youtu.be/oiu_dIZu7Uk
   
   --Book Resources--
   
   Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping, 2013, Revised
   [Book was written before United States approval of Oxalic Acid as a pesticide in 2015]. An essential text used in college for the "why's" and "how's" of beekeeping-
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/1878075292/
   
   The Beekeeper's Handbook- https://www.amazon.com/dp/0801476941/
   
   Wicwas Press Bee Books-
   http://wicwas.com/
   
   
   --Educational Beekeeping Websites--
   
   Honey Bee Health Coalition
   https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/
   
   Bee Informed Partnership
   https://beeinformed.org
   
   Bee Culture Blog
   http://www.beeculture.com
   Bee Culture Recommended Resources and Papers
   https://www.beeculture.com/approved-website-resources/
   
   Randy Oliver's Scientific beekeeping! I think the site needs some format polishing, but the content is great. The resource here are invaluable.
   http://scientificbeekeeping.com
   
   Eastern Apicultural Society-
   A wealth of previous years conference presentations as well as Master Beekeeper training/certification
   http://easternapiculture.org/conferences/eas-2018.html
   
   Michigan State University Pollinators-
   Do you live in the northern US? You may find a lot of helpful info here:
   https://pollinators.msu.edu/resources/beekeepers/
   
   
   --Equipment--
   
   Mann Lake
   
   Kelley
   
   Dadant
   
   Pierco
   
   Aacorn
   
   Shastina Millwork
   
   Blue Sky Bee Supply
   
   Maxant
   
   Betterbee
   
   

$25 with shipping.... or $0.10 a page

edit: shit, forgot the link
http://www.amazon.com/Beekeepers-Handbook-Fourth-Diana-Sammataro/dp/0801476941
(I haven't read it yet, just ran across the review/article, just thought it applicable to the reddit)