Hello,
I live in Northwestern Connecticut and am just getting interested in bees. I know very little and was wondering if anyone has a favorite beekeeping book to reccomend to get me started. Thanks, Jen
Beekeeping for Idoits is probably one of the better ones for beginners. Visit your local library and save some cash incase you change your mind (which I highly doubt you will).
For beginners I recommend three books:
Beekeeping for Dummies by Howland Blackiston is easy to follow. The Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum leaves many unanswered questions but has ideas on 8-frame hives. Beekeeping: A Complete Owner's Manual by Werner Melzer has more information than I expected from a $7 book. I really like his seasonal guide.
Once my bees arrived, At the Hive Entrance by H. Storch was very helpful in explaining the behavior I observed outside the hive.
For more detail, my favorite is The Beekeepers Handbook by Diana Sammataro.
As encyclopedic reference books, The Hive & the Honey Bee published by Dadant and The ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture by A.I. Root seem to cover the same territory with the former in a chapter format and the latter in encyclopedia format.
Thanks for your recommendations, I'm looking forward to reading about this facinating subject. Jen
hey primrose .
try the ventrilo chat software sometime for free.
Hello, I am also from Connecticut, also somewhat new to beekeeping.
I read the " beekeeping for dummies" this book is good, it is written by a guy from connecticut.
Another good easy reading book is Keeping Bees by John Vivian.
Here's my advice:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnewbees.htm
I like ABC XYZ of Bee Culture and The Hive and the Honey Bee a lot. Kim Flottum's book seems pretty good. Most of the advice on equipment in most of the books I find pretty bad. Unless you can easily lift 90 pound boxes all day long, I'd go with lighter equipment.
Go to the library start with Beekeeping for dummies then ABC XYZ of beekeeping
you will like the reading
kirko