I have read BEEKEEPING FOR DUMMIES.(Howland Blackiston)
And now Im reading BACKYARD BEEKEEPERS.(Kim Flottum) My opinion was better than the dummies one
What would you suggest for my next one,,,Im thinking BEEKEEPERS HANDBOOK?
Suggestions?
CapeCod,
For true information overload, read the ABC-XYZ of Bee Culture by Root Company. It has everything in it. But Hive Management by Bonney is excellent as well.
Enjoy them all!
DennisB
That's funny. I bought the same to books to learn from. :-D
MB's site. Articles section where many grewat books can be downloaded for free.
You have read two good books and You can read books till the proverbial cow comes home and may not learn anything new that you didn't get from the last book. Sometimes you just get more confused. Go get some bees and learn how to keep them. Granny would say something like you will never learn to cook if you never pick up the skillet. :-D You can do it..
Most books on beekeeping gives the slant (practices) championed by the author. ABC-XYZ and Hive and the Honey Bee are more like an encyclopedia on beekeeping and less on viewpoint. I recommend them for that reason. I found much in Beekeeping for Dummies that I disagreed with, especially when recommending the practice to a newbee.
Brian, can you give examples of what you disagreed with? I read the "dummies" book and enjoyed the simplicity. It seems slightly dated in regards to varroa control. Every bee meeting that talks of the subject, agrees that apistan is pretty much history. Your thoughts?
Did you know that our wonderful host Beemaster (John) did the pictures for the Beekeeping For Dummies?!?! It's true! The cover pic was of his very own bees!
Sean Kelly
I have read the 2 books that you mentioned and about 20 others (I'm an engineer - I can't help it) including ABCs and XYZs and The Hive and the Honey Bee - all good books. There seemed to be a gap between books for the complete newbee and books for the experienced beek. One book that I found for that gap is "Hive Management: A Seasonal Guide for Beekeepers" by Richard Bonney. I found it useful for me. I had plenty of info on what to do my first year but not really for my second year and beyond. I think this is a good book to read after one or 2 of the beginners' books. Another beginner book I also like is "The Queen and I" by Ed Weiss for his storytelling style.
Quote from: Sean Kelly on March 12, 2008, 07:30:56 AM
Did you know that our wonderful host Beemaster (John) did the pictures for the Beekeeping For Dummies?!?! It's true! The cover pic was of his very own bees!
Sean Kelly
I didn't realize that! I'd like to know why there are the different colors in the comb?
That is different colors of pollen.
My favorite book on beekeeping has always been "The Art and Adventure of Beekeeping" by Ormond Aebi
http://www.amazon.com/art-adventure-beekeeping-Ormond-Aebi/dp/0913300381/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205345364&sr=8-8
Ormond kept bees with his brother, Harry in Santa Cruz, California and they were able to catch my imagination and filled my mind with excellent information.
I like the dummies book too. It is a bit simple, but when getting started, the last thing I need is to try to drink from a firehose. It seems for me that once I learn the basics, I can fill in some of gaps. This site has been instrumental in that gap-filling.
I think beekeeping for dummies is a good book to start your foundation when it comes to information
my first book was "Beginning Beekeeping" from Penn State/MAAREC. I really found it gave me enough technical detail without being dry.
it's available on-line now and is worth a look:
pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/agrs93.pdf
-Steve
Quote from: DaveKow on March 12, 2008, 04:49:23 AM
Brian, can you give examples of what you disagreed with? I read the "dummies" book and enjoyed the simplicity. It seems slightly dated in regards to varroa control. Every bee meeting that talks of the subject, agrees that apistan is pretty much history. Your thoughts?
It is simplist, to a point. The problem I have with it, and many other books written by beekeepers is that their approach it totally one sided and often makes the beeginner feel they have to do it just like the book says. If I were doing it I would list various options, when to try them, etc, instead of my way or the highway. But then I advocate experimenting a bit, mistakes teaches better and more thoroughly than anything else. My mentor used to say, "If you ain't making mistakes, you ain't learning."
>their approach it totally one sided and often makes the beeginner feel they have to do it just like the book says.
That was my problem with most bee books I read over the years. They often present only one possibility and act as if there are no other possibilities. On the other hand, I think sometimes I overwelm the beginner with too many choices. But the problem is that they HAVE choices and they need to be aware of them.
The best book I've ever read about beekeeping is The How To Do It Book of Beekeeping by Richard Taylor. Taylor treated his method as the only correct way like you guys have been complaining about, but it is practical, makes good sense and has a lot of facts and information in it. It was written for the "little guys" like those of us on this site are. It and ABC's are the only two books I ever refer back to.
Quote from: Sean Kelly on March 12, 2008, 07:30:56 AM
Did you know that our wonderful host Beemaster (John) did the pictures for the Beekeeping For Dummies?!?! It's true! The cover pic was of his very own bees!
Sean Kelly
I just found this out this week, when I picked up the book again and started to read it again. I was so surprised to find out the photo was by John. Wonderful photo.
i was wondering about what to read next, now i got a book list ! l like the guid for dummies book, well laid out and lets face it when we all start anything new we are dummies !
The only thing about the dummy book, is I am not even following most of what he teaches in that book. Like I do not give any medications, do not feed sugar. He never mentions about keeping the broodnest open to prevent swarming. He never mentions crush and strain, only extracting honey
It is still a wonderfully written book and very upbeat and happy and well written for the beginner.
Annette