US/Canadian beekeeping goto book

[derekm]

Is "Honey bee biology" by Carron and Connor the go to book for beekeepng in the US. I'm trying to get a handle on what are current practices in the US for beekeeping by both ordinary beekeepers and those who keep bees for research. Does this book reflect the current state of beekeepig in N.A? If not which does?

[BeeMaster2]

Derek,
I do not think any one book is the answer for all questions for any country.
I have Honey Bee Biology and it is a very good book to help you understand how bees work and why they do what they do. I recommend that you get it.
Jim Altmiller

[derekm]

Im trying to find a quotable source of  how U.S. Bee keepers/farmers work and how bee researcher look after their bees  rather than about the bees themselves.

[BeeMaster2]

Then this is not the book you want.
A good but very old book you might want to try is The Hive And The Honey Bee by Langstroth.
Jim Altmiller

[TheHoneyPump]

From what level of knowledge, perspective, and end purpose are you approaching this? What is your end game? May be able to make some recommendations from there.

Preface this with the basis that If you are looking for a -this is how everybody does it- type book, there is no such thing. That book does not exist. There are many practices which vary based on the local conditions and specific situation at hand during each inspection. Hence there are many bee books.  Just like there are many dog books, many horse books, many fish books, many ___insert favourite creature here___ book.

As with any responsible animal husbandry, BEFORE anyone tries to keep bees they need to understand the bees basic needs.  However those needs are met is up to the caretaker (aka beekeeper).

The bees needs that must be satisfied by the beekeeper are the following:
1) Shelter that provides adequate space and protection from the elements of wind, rain, extreme heat, extreme cold.
2) A source of water.
3) A source of food. (forage)
4) Monitor health, control of pests and diseases.

That is it.  It really is that simple.  The bees do the rest.  The bees have been doing their thing for millions of years.  They do not need us to -beekeep- them.  We are nothing more to them than yet another pest of the hive that they have to tolerate.  Excepting for controlling pests and diseases, The more hands-off the beekeeper is the better the bees will bee.

There is little to no difference between a regular hive and a research hive. Other than perhaps what specific thing is the focus of the research.

All that said, goto your local public library and flip through the index of bee books. For concise but thorough references Pick these as a start:   Kim Flottum: The Backyard Beekeeper.   Micheal Bush: The Practical Beekeeper.  As well as online:  scientificbeekeeping.com

Again, what is your end game?
Hope that helps, in some way.

[Hethen57]

TheHoneyPump...that is one of the most direct and realistic advice posts that I have seen on a bee board in quite a while.  Spot on.  We are all looking for the magic bullet advice, but if it existed, everyone would be doing it.  I listened to a podcast a few weeks ago and a Midwestern state bee inspector was talking about her job and she said the biggest part of it has become trying to educate all of the new beekeepers.  The host asked her a follow-up question regarding the most important advice she gives to new beekeepers regarding dealing with Varroa management (I was waiting for the secret from this lifetime beekeeping professional) and all she could say was educate yourself and quit getting all of your advice on YouTube...that was it...basically nothing...figure it out.

[Michael Bush]

>Is "Honey bee biology" by Carron and Connor the go to book for beekeepng in the US.

A book on "Honey bee biology" is NOT a book on beekeeping.  I've always prefered Winston's book for a book on bee biology but Carron and Connor's book is nice also.  In some ways I prefer The Anatomy of the Honey Bee by Snodgrass because of the nice engravings that sometimes provide more clarity than pictures.

As far as books on beekeeping, that is a different matter.  There are many good ones.

Honey Farming by ROB Manley: https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS709US709&ei=aPD3XOicAcWQsAXO4I7gBQ&q=beekeeping+manely&oq=beekeeping+manely&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i8i13i30l3.73700.76371..78021...0.0..0.122.1481.15j2......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i67j0i10i67j0j0i131j35i39j0i20i263j0i131i67j33i160j0i13j0i13i30j0i13i5i30.yz3ZkMsBYJo

Complete Idiot's guide to Beekeeping is good.

And you can read mine for free here: http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm

[The15thMember]

My go to basic book is "The Beekeeper's Handbook" by Diana Sammatora and Alphonse Avitabile.  Just my 2 cents. 

[derekm]

I'm not looking for advice, just a source of information that I can quote in paper on what is current U.S. Bee farming and Beekeeping practice with regard to ventilation.
I'm on the other side of the pond.  My impression from reading the magazines, Bee culture, ABJ , My copies of "The Hive and the Honey bee"  2015, 1949 ,1946 editions ,"ABC XYZ" 2007,1974,1945,1913 editions ,is that U.S. Bee farmers and bee keepers top ventilate/entrance their hives in winter(especially in the North) and in summer in times of flow(especially in the South). However, I was recently told by reviewer of an academic paper, when discussing practices in Florida, that this was not the case and that they did  did not know of any bee farmer who top ventilated their bees. So I'm updating and widening my literature search.  I've obtained "Honey bee biology and beekeeping" by Caron and Honey Bees and Beekeeping: A Year in the Life of an Apiary, 3rd Edition by Delaplane is on it way to me.  The interest here is full width of North American climates. Can you tell me what I'm missing or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

[TheHoneyPump]

What you are missing is an understanding of the considerable geographic and climatic differences across North America.
You need to understand that one state, one province, over here can be larger than three complete whole countries over there. As example, where I am you could jam the UK, Ireland, and France together and they are still smaller than my region.   

The methods vary widely simply due to this over-arching fact. Therefore the topic of your research is not something that can be generalized, nor summarized in any way. It would be like attempting to say beekeeping in the UK is the same as beekeeping in Finland is the same as beekeeping in the Mediterranean is the same as beekeeping in Egypt. The only things that you can generalize and summarize as being the same across regions; are the bees being bees doing those bee things that are going on INSIDE the shelter they have been given.

The bees need water, they need food, they need shelter, they need fresh air, and most of all they need sunshine!  The methods and equipment of providing them with said shelter varies much, as stated.

[Michael Bush]

The driving distance from Bath, Maine to my house is the same as the driving distance from Paris France to Istanbul Turkey.  The driving distance from Bath, Maine to Los Angeles is the same as the driving distance from Paris France to Bagdad Iraq.  Beekeepers in different areas do different things and individuals in those areas do different things.  Nebraska is larger than all but 13 European countries.  It's the same size as  Belarus and more than twice the size of all but 17 European countries.  And we are the 16th in size of US states. Nebraska is 200,356 km2  The climate in Nebraska varies greatly from one end of the state to the other as do beekeeping practices.

[van from Arkansas]

Journal of Apicultural Research
Volume 54, Issue 2, 2015

Towards integrated control of varroa:  2]comparing application methods and doses of Oxalic acid on the mortality of phoretic Varroa destructor mites and their honey bee host
Hasan Al Toufailia, et al
Pages 108-120
Published online 25 Jan 2016

Above is your published article citation, I hope this fits your needs.

The article is specific regarding scientific hive construction: complete with trap to count every single dead bee, eggs, larva, I.e. queen rearing effects, over 18 months.

Van

[derekm]

What you are missing is an understanding of the considerable geographic and climatic differences across North America.
You need to understand that one state, one province, over here can be larger than three complete whole countries over there. As example, where I am you could jam the UK, Ireland, and France together and they are still smaller than my region.   
....

If I didnt understand there was a difference between Sub-Arctic and Sub-tropical
why would i write [/quote] "The interest here is full width of North American climates"[/quote]

[van from Arkansas]

HP :There is little to no difference between a regular hive and a research hive. Other than perhaps what specific thing is the focus of the research.

Unfortunately you are correct HoneyPump.  There are so many cowboy scientists that practice kitchen chemistry, post on YouTube or maybe Journal of Zimbabwe, its churns my stomach.

The article I referenced above is the real deal regarding honey bee research: 18 months in the making, every little detail accounted for, detailed enough to build a special trap to account for dead bees carried off by sanitation workers.  So detailed research, so well thought out, peered reviewed, so rare now a days.

[derekm]

Journal of Apicultural Research
Volume 54, Issue 2, 2015

Towards integrated control of varroa:  2]comparing application methods and doses of Oxalic acid on the mortality of phoretic Varroa destructor mites and their honey bee host
Hasan Al Toufailia, et al
Pages 108-120
Published online 25 Jan 2016

Above is your published article citation, I hope this fits your needs.

The article is specific regarding scientific hive construction: complete with trap to count every single dead bee, eggs, larva, I.e. queen rearing effects, over 18 months.

Van

Thank you for looking it up - A few problems though  - 1) This was conducted on different continent to one in question i.e. this documents experiments in England UK not USA, 2) the is no mention of the presence or absence of top ventilation. One of the named researchers Prof Ratnieks hails from the U.S. and in other documents says he favours top ventilation but fails to document  his research on whether he employs it or not.

Ratnieks, F. (2016). Autumn preparation of hives for winter. Retrieved February 23, 2019, from http://www.lasiqueenbees.com/how-to/autumn-preparation-of-hives-for-winter

[van from Arkansas]

Derekm, I believe you will realize there is no consensus among beekeepers in the US.  I posted an article for you, but after I reread your last post I don?t think it will help.

The only constant with US beekeeping is inconsistently.  Bees are so adaptive the insects forgive our mistakes and multiply despite our best efforts.  Specifically regarding ventilation I have seen discussions on forums that turned out hostile due to differing opinions.

I will help any way I can with specific questions.  The Practical Beekeeper is a favorite book but may not have the specifics you desire.
All good things
Van

[derekm]

Derekm, I believe you will realize there is no consensus among beekeepers in the US.  I posted an article for you, but after I reread your last post I don?t think it will help.

The only constant with US beekeeping is inconsistently.  Bees are so adaptive the insects forgive our mistakes and multiply despite our best efforts.  Specifically regarding ventilation I have seen discussions on forums that turned out hostile due to differing opinions.

I will help any way I can with specific questions.  The Practical Beekeeper is a favorite book but may not have the specifics you desire.
All good things
Van

Thanks for trying anyway...  I just wish the researchers actually documented what they did as regards ventilation and hive construction. Then at least I would have some data. I think its presumptuous to think it is of such little consequence that it is beneath the effort of noting. I am resorting to looking at bee books for common practice because nearly almost nothing is written on this by the researchers
.

[van from Arkansas]

HoneyBee Democracy, by Thomas D. Seeley

Conducted on an island adjacent to New York.  Dr. Seeley discusses hive size, entrance and ventilation with controls as the data was completed on an island with offered unique controllable options for Dr. Seeley to provide bees with variables for size, entrance size, ventilation and noting which option the bees preferred.

Van

[TheHoneyPump]

What you are missing is an understanding of the considerable geographic and climatic differences across North America.
You need to understand that one state, one province, over here can be larger than three complete whole countries over there. As example, where I am you could jam the UK, Ireland, and France together and they are still smaller than my region.   
....

If I didnt understand there was a difference between Sub-Arctic and Sub-tropical
why would i write

"The interest here is full width of North American climates"[/quote]
[/quote]

If you understand that, then the next logical step is the understanding that the scope of interest must be reduced to what is achievable and deliverable.

As for ventilation:  All that is required for every climate is give the bees a single 2" diameter hole.  They do the rest.