Average customer rating:
- This book is very good for any beginner or anyone just interested in beekeeping.
- Beekeeping for Dummies is awesome!!
- Cannot wait to get started
- recommended reading
- Beekeeping for Dummies
|
Beekeeping for Dummies
Howland Blackiston
Manufacturer: For Dummies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Animal Care & Pets
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Insects & Spiders
| Animals
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Entomology
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
History of Technology
| Technology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Agricultural Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Agricultural Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Bees
| Animal Husbandry
| Agricultural Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
All Amazon Upgrade
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Arts & Photography
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Home & Garden
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Professional & Technical
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
For Dummies
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Backyard Beekeeper: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden
-
Hive Management: A Seasonal Guide for Beekeepers
-
Beekeeping: A Practical Guide
-
The Beekeeper's Handbook, Third Edition
-
A Book of Bees: And How to Keep Them
ASIN: 0764554190 |
Book Description
Believe it or not, bees are one of the oldest species of domesticated animals. Archeologists have found evidence of beekeeping, or apiculture, in the Middle East dating back more than five thousand years. If you’ve ever tasted good clover honey, it’s not hard to understand why. But it’s not just for the honey that more than 125,000 people (and growing) in the United States, alone, keep hives. Anyone interested in nature can’t help but be fascinated by those buzzing yellow bundles of energy and the exotic world they inhabit, with all its weird rituals and incredible efficiency. Also, dedicated gardeners appreciate the extra bounty that pollinating bees bring to their fruits, flowers, and vegetable gardens.
In this easy-to-follow guide, Howland Blackiston, one of the nation’s most respected authorities on the subject, takes the mystery (and the sting) out of beekeeping. Taking a step-by-step approach to successful backyard beekeeping, he gets you up and running with all the information you need to:
- Build a hive
- Establish your first colony
- Inspect your hives with confidence
- Maintain healthy colonies
- Deal with pests and fix common problems
- Harvest and enjoy fresh homemade honey
- Bottle and market your honey
Howland Blackiston covers all the bases, from bee anatomy, society, and behavior, to identifying and healing common illnesses afflicting bees. He also offers inventive solutions to most common and many uncommon problems you’re likely to run into. Among other things, you’ll discover:
- Where to put your hive, basic equipment you’ll need, and how to assemble a hive
- The best and safest way to inspect and enjoy your bees
- Year-round tasks a beekeeper must perform to maintain a healthy colony
- How to recognize and deal with common problems with brood production and the precious queen
- How to harvest honey and decide what kind of honey you’d like to make
- Making products from beeswax and propolis
For both fun and profit, beekeeping has become a booming enterprise. A real honey of a book, Beekeeping For Dummies gets you on the road to enjoying this ancient, highly-rewarding, and oh-so-tasty hobby.
Customer Reviews:
This book is very good for any beginner or anyone just interested in beekeeping........2007-09-30
After you get started you'll soon realize that there is a lot of information not in this book, so I think you'll naturally go out to seek for more knowledge, I know I did! For getting people interested and well informed this is a fantastic resource! Couple this will a membership in a local bee club and a saving account for more books, videos, and magazine subscription and your well on your way in wonderful world of beekeeping!
Beekeeping for Dummies is awesome!!.......2007-07-25
I'm new to the world of beekeeping and this book has got to be one of the best resources available. I would definently recommend it for beekeeper of all experience.
Cannot wait to get started.......2007-07-11
I loved the book and cannot wait to get started. Unfortunately, I will have to wait till Spring 2008. The book is very inspiring.
recommended reading.......2007-07-11
There is not a single "tell all" book for beginner beekeepers, however this is a must in the beginner library. My recommendations are
#1 Beekeeping for Dummies by Howland Blackiston
#2 Beekeeping-A Practical Guide by Richard Bonney
#3 Hive Management by Richard Bonney
in that order.
Beekeeping for Dummies.......2007-05-13
Probably the most informative book on beekeeping of the 4 I have. I refer to it more than the others when I have a question about how to do things and when to schedule them. Walks you through the process of installing bee packages, giving you all the information you'll need to know.
Amazon.com
"Voluntary simplicity" has become a catch phrase for what seems to be a yearning for a simpler, more self-sufficient and economical way of living in the late 20th century. This book, first published in 1981 and recently updated, was probably many folks' first in-depth exposure to the idea of a simpler life, making things by hand, and enjoying a stronger sense of control over personal budgets, home projects, and lifestyles. Hundreds of projects are listed, illustrated in step-by-step diagrams and instructions: growing and preserving your own food, converting trees to lumber and building a home from it, traditional crafts and homesteading skills, and having fun with recreational activities like camping, fishing, and folk dancing without spending a lot of money. This book will have you dreaming and planning from the first page! -- Mark A. Hetts
Book Description
This how-to, user-friendly guide teaches self-sufficiency-covering all of life's essentials: shelter; alternative energy sources; growing and preserving food; home crafts; directions for making herbal remedies; and even home-grown entertainment.
Customer Reviews:
Back to the Land.......2007-05-13
Old skills brought to life and shared - provident living - do it yourself - from raising poultry, to making cheese- gardening and storage tips - make ice cream, build a house, all between the covers of one book.
Back to Basics.......2007-05-12
This book is great, in fact every household should have one. If you are interested in a selfsustaining lifestyle, living from the resources in your community, thereby supporting your community, this book show the way.
What a great book.......2006-08-26
I have owned this book for 18 yrs and am buying another copy because I wore the 1st one out.It covers Just about everything a tinkering homeowner could want.It has a great amount of info useful to the homesteader or anyone interested in the way things used to be done.I have used it for raising chickens,grapes,gardening and making maple syrup.I also like the firewood section.I would reccomend this book to anyone who likes to tinker.
Best book ever for diagrams and pictures.......2006-06-29
I loved this book. I'd previously read many homesteading style books and had only been happy with one of them (Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living). This book is different in it's own special way. I didn't have as much printed information but the diagrams and pictures were just what we needed to get a few things started that the encyclopedia missed.
I'm adicted it's brilliant.......2006-02-17
I own the book since 1980 or 1981 it's red tried and red again. It's an absolute must for every one enjoying to trial and error and sometimes suceed at skills that where so common once and now seem so difficult.
Average customer rating:
- Good book
- A Good One for Your Beekeeping Libary
- Well-organized
- Very Helpful
- Good Introduction, But Lacking
|
The Beekeeper's Handbook, Third Edition
Alphonse Avitabile , and
Diana Sammataro
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Reference
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Insects & Spiders
| Animals
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Entomology
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ecology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Veterinary Medicine
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
Entomology
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Ecology
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Bees
| Animal Husbandry
| Agricultural Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Home & Garden Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Outdoors & Nature Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Science Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Home & Garden
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Medicine
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Outdoors & Nature
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Backyard Beekeeper: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden
-
Hive Management: A Seasonal Guide for Beekeepers
-
Beekeeping for Dummies
-
Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture
-
Langstroth's Hive and the Honey-Bee: The Classic Beekeeper's Manual
ASIN: 0801485037 |
Book Description
Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile have revised and expanded their clear and comprehensive guide to cover changes in beekeeping. They discuss the crisis created by the parasitic bee mites. In less than a decade, for example, Varroa mites have saturated the North American honeybee population with disastrous results, devastating both managed and wild populations. The new edition of The Beekeeper's Handbook covers mite detection and control as well as the selection and testing of bees that may have some tolerance to mites.
*Serves as a comprehensive well-illustrated introduction for beginners and a valuable reference for the experienced beekeeper.
*Outlines options for each operation within beekeeping, listing advantages and disadvantages of each alternative.
*Provides easy-to-follow directions and diagrams.
*Includes glossary and updated bibliography suggesting more detailed information on the topics discussed.
Customer Reviews:
Good book.......2007-08-26
I like this book quite a-lot. I recommend it over BeeKeeping for Dummies. Well written, nice pictures, simple style.
A Good One for Your Beekeeping Libary.......2007-05-27
This is definitely a 'must have' book for your beekeeping library. Avitabile and Sammataro completed an exhaustive work that is worthy as a reference book for years to come, or as an information source for folks looking to start keeping bees. Highly recommended.
Well-organized .......2006-03-03
Our local farmer recommended this book & I've really enjoyed it. Good for beginners.
Very Helpful.......2005-05-02
I am new to bee keeping, my first hive didn't make it through Ohio's winter, when I picked up a new package to repopulate the hive, the owner of the apiary, Queens Right Colonies, recommended this book. Each time I get into my hive I look through the book to learn what I have seen. Has been very helpful. Great book!
Good Introduction, But Lacking.......2005-03-10
This is a fine book, but there are many basic concepts missing, and it is a little pricey considering what it lacks. But adding it to your library will be a good move if it's complemented by other authors.
Book Description
The beekeeper's year begins with a late winter hive inspection and ends with "putting the bees to bed" in the autumn. Richard Bonney believes that each beekeeping activity should be performed with an eye toward the overall well-being of the colony, as part of an integrated year-round program of hive management. Long-term success in beekeeping can only be achieved by understanding the intimate lives, behaviors, and motivations of honey bees ; the factors which govern the life of each colony. Richard Bonney explains the reasons behind common practices that many beekeepers perform without really knowing why. He also stresses when to take timely actions that will prevent problems in future seasons. Hive Management offers concise, up-to-date information on the whole range of beekeeping tasks, including: ; How to prevent, control, and capture swarms. ; What you can tell from an outside inspection of your hives. ; When and how to "take the crop" and harvest honey. ; How to successfully requee
Customer Reviews:
Bee Farmer.......2007-07-12
A good all round book.
The chapters lay it out for the reader, and if that reader is like me you will get a better understand of bees and their needs.
I suggest this book to anyone who is thinking about getting a few hives for the backyard BEFORE they do. Although bee keeping is a enjoyable passtime, there are things that need to be considered and this book will equip the reader with what they need to know. Good evening reading.
Awsome Book.......2007-03-14
This book is well written and laid out in a great way to make keeping bees easier to understand. Highly reccomend this one.
Nice general book.......2006-04-22
This is a very readable book - Bonney puts words together well. Not a "must have" in a beekeeper's library but a good general discussion of relevant topics. Assumes basic beekeeping knowledge. Overlaps with his beginner's book (Beekeeping: a Complete Guide); this would be aptly titled "Your Second Year as a Beekeeper."
This one is a keeper (pun intended)........1999-04-05
In the past year I have borrowed from the library all the books I could find about beekeeping . This is one I plan to add to my personal library.
Excellent, very informative, a must have reference.......1998-12-11
Cover the subject in detail for good managemen
Book Description
For the professional and hobbyist, a detailed review of a full-year cycle of beekeeping, including managing colonies, taking the crop, coping with disease, and selecting equipment. The reader learns how to manage bees and keep them.
Customer Reviews:
Pretty good but a few issues.......2007-04-19
I've read "Beekeeping: A Practical Guide" from cover to cover and I enjoyed
reading it. The author has a kind of subdued humor that I particularly like
and the instructions on how to treat the hive seemed quite complete. In
fact using this book as a guide I installed three hives yesterday morning.
After that experience I realized that there were two things left out that the
author should have included. Perhaps if there's another edition he will
add them.
First, there needs to be an explanation of the consequences of being
stung and not flicking the stinger out. If one does not do this the stinger
will work its way down under the skin and become irretrievable. Then
that whole stinger becomes something the body reacts against. Bonney
accurately stated that for many people bee stings are no big deal and
at the same time asserted that one should immediately flick the stinger
out. All this is quite accurate. What was left out was an explanation
of the consequences though of not more or less immediately getting that
stinger out.
On the third hive I was stung multiple times and lost track of where
all the stings were. At the time the stings hurt a lot for a minute
or two and then faded to insignificance. Now almost twenty-four hours
later I know exactly where each stinger is that I failed to flick out.
And it has dawned on me that this painful reaction is going to persist
for many days.
Second, one step in installing a package of bees is the hanging of the
queen cage between two frames suspended by a metal disk that comes on
the queen cage. I was all prepared for that possibility. (I read and
reread Bonney's step-by-step instructions at least three times.) What
I wasn't prepared for was queen cages with plastic strap and without
a metal disk. Therefore I didn't have the proper tools to attach
the queen cage to a frame.
Now Richard Bonney had no way to anticipate this change of practice. But
what would have helped is an explanation of why it's so important to
suspend the queen at the top. Yesterday morning I didn't know what to
do and left the queen cages on the bottom of each of their respective
hive bodies. Now almost twenty-four hours later, I wake up realizing
that the queens might die because the worker bees aren't going to cluster
around the queen at the bottom of the cage to keep her warm.
It's still a good book. I recommend it.
Good for beginners.......2003-12-31
I found Richard Bonney's book to be a great read for those who are interested in getting into beekeeping. The language of the book is clear and effective in communicating what a new keeper can expect to deal with in their first season of beekeeping. The book does not get bogged down in onerus details, but provides an effective general overview.
A Wry, Charming Book.......2001-04-22
This is more than a "how-to," beginner's guide to beekeeping: it is a homage to a remarkable creature. The author's comprehensive knowledge and admiration for the fuzzy little guys is evident on every page. His advice is practical and free of mushy sentiment. A lovely book.
Beekeeping A Practical Guide.......2000-02-28
Mr. Bonney's Book was an easy read. I read it in 3 evenings. The 'Practical Guide' is just that - a 'Road Map'. I appreciated Mr. Bonney's opinions and lack of wishy-washy caveats. I did not find the short-falls another reviewer found.
I appreciate the Tables that present the Data and capsulize that Data or Information. For example, I finished the Book, went on line, Yahooed 'Beekeeping', found some vendors and successfully prepared a 'general' or 'ballpark' budget based on recommended hive dimensions, clothing and so on - in less than 30 minutes!
My demeanor is such that I prefer to make my own decisions and Mr. Bonney clearly stated when he held a view where others differed. This is not a 'my way or the highway' Book.
Good starter book, but lacking detail........1999-06-12
A very good starter book, but still needs more precise detail. For example, warns of swarms and to watch for, but does not say "what" to watch for. Assumes reader knows something about bees and their habits. I do not. Am a beginner from the word go, and need more information than this books holds. However, a good addition to the home collection.
Book Description
The various chemicals used in beekeeping have, for the past decades, held Varroa Destructor, a mite, and other major pests at bay, but chemical-resistance is building and evolution threatens to overtake the best that laboratory chemists have to offer. In fact, there is evidence that chemical treatments are making the problem worse. Natural Beekeeping flips the script on traditional approaches by proposing a program of selective breeding and natural hive management.
Conrad brings together the best organic and natural approaches to keeping honeybees healthy and productive here in one book. Readers will learn about nontoxic methods of controlling mites, eliminating American foulbrood disease (without the use of antibiotics), breeding strategies, and many other tips and techniques for maintaining healthy hives. Conrad's reservoir of knowledge comes from years of experience and a far-flung community of fellow beekeepers who are all interested in ecologically sustainable apiculture. Specific concepts and detailed management techniques are covered in a matter-of-fact, easy to implement way.
Natural Beekeeping describes opportunities for the seasoned professional to modify existing operations to improve the quality of hive products, increase profits, and eliminate the use of chemical treatments. Beginners will need no other book to guide them. Whether you are an experienced apiculturist looking for ideas to develop an Integrated Pest Management approach or someone who wants to sell honey at a premium price, this is the book you've been waiting for.
Customer Reviews:
Well written and lots to think about.......2007-09-28
All too often beekeepers are all to quick to treat a perceived problem with a drug or a chemical. Unfortunately this has been a problem in all agriculture for decades. Ross Conrad in his book, Natural Beekeeping, discusses the problems associated with this approach and suggests alternative ways to handle the problem without chemicals or drugs. Much of his writing is about his philosophy of beekeeping and that of organic beekeeping. Don't expect a recipe approach to beekeeping problems or exacting details. They are not there. On the other hand, he gives many very good ideas and approaches one can try or research. He realizes that there is more than one approach or method to keeping bees and that there are regional differences and needs in beekeeping. Therefore, there is no right or wrong way to keep bees as some other books would lead one to think. This book is excellent at giving beekeepers ideas on keeping healthy hives naturally developing a program that will work in one's climate and style of beekeeping management. Mr. Conrad is on target and echoes many of the same principles of chemical free beekeeping I have tried to teach those that I mentor. It was reassuring to hear it from another source. Additionally he gave me many new things to consider.
Any collection strong in organic gardening, harvesting or beekeeping needs NATURAL BEEKEEPING........2007-09-08
Beekeepers face new challenges in keeping bees alive and healthy but until now there's been no holistic orientation on beekeeping. NATURAL BEEKEEPING: ORGANIC APPROACHES TO MODERN APICULTURE offers up an alternative to chemical practices and delivers a program of natural hive management using nontoxic methods to control mites, eliminate common bee diseases, and produce naturally resistant, healthier hives. Both novices and neo-pros receive tips on everything from genetics and breeding to pests and harvesting, with chapters coming from one who learned from world-renowned beekeeper Charles Mraz. Any collection strong in organic gardening, harvesting or beekeeping needs NATURAL BEEKEEPING.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
very nice book.......2007-07-08
I am a new beekeeper but I found this book very informative yet easy to understand. Definately something to keep for the reference shelf as I am sure I will review it again and again.
Customer Reviews:
You can be as busy as a bee during the off season...........2007-03-11
Keep busy this winter and make this dandy little extractor. I actually followed through and made one. I just started out with one hive last year and adding another this year, so I'll put it to the test this fall. The two pullies were expensive, about $16.00 each at Tractor Supply. Other then that, its cheap to build and looks like it should work.
great for the hobbyist.......2006-07-09
This book would make a great gift for someone who likes to tinker in the garage. Even if you have a commercial extractor; this book has a great blue-print for making your own. What could be more satisfying for the true beekeeper enthusiast?
Book Description
"The real masterwork that Sue Hubbell has created is her life," David Quammen wrote in the New York Times. This book is, like its author, a unique achievement. Weaving a vivid portrait of her own life and her bees' lives through the seasons, Hubbell writes "about bees to be sure, but also about other things: the important difference between loneliness and solitude . . . the accommodating of oneself to nature" (Philadelphia Inquirer).
Customer Reviews:
A narrative how to.......2007-09-13
At first I wasn't sure about this book since it seemed to be more of a biography/memoir rather than the sort of how-to book on beekeeping I was searching for. As it turns out the book is both a narrative and a manual on beekeeping, and once I began reading I was pleasantly surprised by the seamless fusion of the two. It's a good easy read for anyone, even if you're not particularly interested in bees - a very well written story about agricultural life (and life in general) in the Ozarks. It's also a good primer on what one might expect to encounter in keeping bees as you follow the author's accounts through the seasons.
Great story, interesting subject.......2005-05-15
I received a call from a friend who said he had a book on bees that I needed to read. I raised my eyebrows, you see, because I'm allergic to bees. Why would I want to read a book on bee-keeping?
What you'll find in this book is a story about a life. A woman who has survived a broken marriage and has made an interesting career in farming, but not just an ordinary farm. As she puts it, she farms not pigs, cattle, or horses- but "bugs". With over 300 hives of bees, she stays busy year around tending to animals that (as you'll find) have maybe more personality than the typical farm critters.
The story covers the 4 seasons of a typical year. She is a talented writer with a style that is both captivating, interesting, and (due to her choice of words) entertaining. The bees themselves are a treat to learn about, from their close-knit community behavior to the critical details of their survival.
But, it's not about the bees. It's about a simple rural life that a lot of us feel we have missed. If you daydream about a simple life away from the office, then this book is for you.
A Fun Read.......2005-02-10
This book is a fun read about bees. Definetly not a technical manual, so I don't know why the "How to Keep them" part of the title got added on. There's a lot of good historical information about bees, biological information, and some tricks of the trade from Sue who is a commercial beekeeper in the Ozark Mountains. She shares some great stories about her life, which is intricately woven with the lives of her bees.
Bee Knees.......2004-05-15
Back in early April, I mentioned one of Sue Hubbell's other books, A Country Year: Living the Questions on my blog, where she writes about her time living in the Ozarks and raising bees as a profession.
While A Country Year was meant as entertaining reading, this book is Hubbell giving you clean and excellent information on the keeping of bees, along with some of the poetic language from A Country Year. Just like that book, I will finish this book in a day or two, as it pulls me through the various seasons of the beekeeper. Winter is prep time. Spring brings hard work and maintenance. Fall is harvest and preparing the hives for Winter.
I get fixated on ideas somehow, and Hubbell's books are feeding my current fixation on bees. My neighbors hive, clearly visible from my back yard, has grown more interesting. It gives me a life model to explore my newly gained knowledge without completely suiting up in bee gear. It is heartening to know that the flowers and trees in my garden benefit from these bees, as much as the bees benefit from them.
The days in the life of a year of bee keeping.......2003-10-29
Buffalo Sue says this book is delightful. I'd like to find a different word to be original but I can't.
It is delightful in the way Sue Hubbell somehow manages to be both down to earth as somebody making a living with bees must yet is also as bright eyed as a kid experiencing something wonderfully new every day which is in fact what you get with bees.
If you are into bees buy it.
If you are not into bees but enjoy the idea that even today there is a satisfying way to live that does not require destruction of the environment or the death or discomfort of your charges you would enjoy it.
Amazon.com
Holley Bishop loves bees. No, more than that: she idolizes them. She marvels at their native abilities and the momentous role these misunderstood and unjustly feared creatures have played in the development of human history. And with her book, Robbing the Bees, she succeeds in making the reader love bees, too. Take this nifty bit of information, one of countless fascinating factoids offered by Bishop in her celebration of all things bee-related: "Because of bees' starring role in the drama of pollination, we humans are indebted to them, directly and indirectly, for a third of our food supply. Visiting bees are required for the commercial production of more than a hundred of our most important crops including alfalfa, garlic, apples, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, citrus, melons, onion, almonds, turnips, parsley, sunflower, cranberries, and clover." Or how about this: "For the past decade, the American military has been testing [bees'] potential as special agents in the war on drugs and terrorism. Bees are as sensitive to odor as dogs and can be trained to buzz in on drugs, explosives, landmines, and chemical weapons." Beat that as a winning opening gambit at a cocktail party. And that ain't all. Bishop charts the evolution of honey and beeswax harvesting through the ages, gives us an up-close look inside working beehives from ancient Egypt to the present day, interviews beekeepers, quotes bee chroniclers past and present (from Charles Darwin to contemporary Florida beekeeper Donald Smiley), reveals her rather clumsy foray into beekeeping in candid detail, studies bees' impact on religion and history, and provides a selection of innovative recipes calling for honey. Through it all, Bishop never loses sight of the star if the show--the humble honey bee--or the crucial but largely unrewarded role they continue to play on our planet. And she does it with snappy prose and keen humor. Dogs be warned: if Bishop has her way, bees will be the it pet of the future, or at least less likely to die at the end of a folded newspaper next time one buzzes in through an open window. --Kim Hughes
Book Description
Honey has been waiting almost ten million years for a good biography. Bees have been making this prized food -- for centuries the world's only sweetener -- for millennia, but we humans started recording our fascination with it only in the past few thousand years. Part history, part love letter, Robbing the Bees is a celebration of bees and their magical produce, revealing the varied roles of bees and honey in nature, world civilization, business, and gastronomy.
To help navigate the worlds and cultures of honey, Bishop -- beekeeper, writer, and honey aficionado -- apprentices herself to Donald Smiley, a professional beekeeper who harvests tupelo honey in the Florida panhandle. She intersperses the lively lore and science of honey with lyrical reflections on her own and Smiley's beekeeping experiences. Its passionate research, rich detail, and fascinating anecdote and illustrations make Holley Bishop's Robbing the Bees a sumptuous look at the oldest, most delectable food in the world.
Customer Reviews:
Editor Needed!.......2007-08-23
Good book if you can skip over the extraneous bits. Alot of un-necessary information. Author has interesting story to tell, but when she gets into a whole section about how the bee-keeper mistakenly painted his house some bright color of pink and there's no connection to bees here, she loses me. Book is another in my collection of 1/2 read tomes.
excellent!.......2007-02-18
an excellent bio of honey, bees, beekeeping and the role the three subjects have in history and our lives. great read.
Robbing the Bees: A Biography of Honey.......2007-01-13
This is one of the best books I have read. Makes me want to get a bee hive for my back yard. Very interesting facts about bees and honey. Every high school/middle school science class should read this book. I liked it so much I bought it for friends.
How sweet it is...........2006-12-16
Occasionally an engaging book doesn't conform to its title and gains from the misapplication. Bishop's is such a piece. She blends introspection, scientific inquiry, journalism, and historical research in a splendid way that the title of her bee book cannot contain. Her varied perspectives and zoom-lens segues explore not simply the "biography" of honey but also a slice-of-life examination of a hardworking, seasoned Florida panhandle beekeeper named Don Smiley. In fact, his good life with his bees is the inspiring story that anchors the book. With her sophisticated down-home manner, Bishop excels in portraying Smiley's single-minded concern for his bees, his love for the swamp, and his pride in his Tupelo honey business. With the contrasting gulf of inexperience in mind, self-deprecating Bishop conveys her own feelings toward her hive-tending gaffes.
Woven in with the confidence of Smiley and the confessions of Bishop are fascinating glimpses into bee biology and natural history. From cover to cover this book is filled with interesting details though there's really no telling where the chapters will go. Bishop touches upon the nineteenth century innovations and inventions that transformed the global flow of honey. But then we jump off of an incoming Dutch Gold truck, tour the factory in Lancaster, PA and learn how honey bear packaging was invented. Our nation's regulation problems with imported honey are explained. For good measure, we also find out about a variety of products that have more to do with bees than honey--such as bee venom, propolis, pollen and beeswax. As Bishop's hymn to all things apian comes to a close, she leaves us with a few recipes, some ancient and some modern.
All honey robbers would do well to buy this book--rob your bees but not your local bookstore. Raise a toast of mead to the author for her fine accomplishment. It's all for the best if the title of Bishop's book is strained because she has bottled up a sweet, pure product. Salud.
Buzzing with Enthusiasm for this Book! .......2006-11-06
You know, when I picked up this book, I had no idea I would enjoy it so much. I am researching for down the line when I buy a house, considering some minor beekeeping in my future and this was recommended to me by my local librarian (yea librarians!). I'm not sorry I picked this up...it's written in such an unabashed loving way that one cannot help but be as exited as Bishop and Smiley about bee's and beekeeping. I was also quite pleased to find an extensive history of bees; beekeeping, honey, and wax were a part of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the way the story was divided between following Bishop as she discovered her own love of beekeeping, her interviews and following of Smiley on his beekeeping farm in Florida (following his rounds and seasons was very fascinating and who know it was such hard work), and finally the sections on the history. These were woven together quite well and as a whole provide the reader with a solid foundation that is also filled with love and enthusiasm for bees and their honey. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in doing a little beekeeping of their own (not as a how to, rather as a first step in becoming more familiar with the process and history of it)...heck, if you like honey, you'll probably like this book! I'll be adding a copy to my permanent library very soon!!
Book Description
A classic text from one of the world's experts on bees. This comprehensive guide will give beginners all they need to start and maintain a healthy bee colony, while experienced beekeepers will find advice on expanding into new areas of the business and how to refine their skills. Subjects covered include: • Buying a colony of bees • Managing bees throughout the seasons • Selecting equipment and a good apiary site • Preventing swarming • Extracting, processing, and selling honey • Controlling pests, predators, and diseases • Rearing queen honey bees Photographs and technical drawings illustrate the text, and appendixes define technical terms, list sources of supplies, and tell you where to go to find more information. 49 black and white photographs, 3 illustrations, index.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect guide for beginner beekeeper.......2005-07-10
This provides details on how to start and maintiain a healthy colony. Includes buying, managing, choosing equipment, controlling pests, and all aspects of making honey. A good easy-to-understand guide for the beginner.
The New Incomplete Guide to Beekeeping.......2001-02-07
I have about 17 books on beekeeping related topics and I found this one to be the most lack luster of them all. Like the other reviewer said it touches briefly on all aspects of beekeeping but does not go into any real depth. I found its section on How To Get Started On Beekeeping pathetic. On installing a package of bees it offers six black and white photographs and a few lines of text underneath each picture to describe what is going on. That?s it!!. It does not mention anything about what to feed them once they are installed, your first inspection and what to look for, or a description of the equipment you will need to start your first hive. I think most beginners are very concerned about starting the process correctly and more attention should have been placed on the first few weeks of establishing a hive. Dr. Morse did not even go into the topic of establishing a colony with a nuc. Dr. Morse is a very well known and respected professor at Cornell University who I might call one of the founding fathers of modern beekeeping. Unfortunately, he wrote a crappy book that offers little to the new beekeeper. Two books I would recommend are John Vivian's "Keeping Bees". Although it is slightly dated when it comes to managing mites the rest of the book is invaluable as a source of information. Richard Bonney's two books on beekeeping are also very good.
incomplete guide to beekeeping.......1999-12-16
this is a good book for someone interested in beekeeping, but offers little to someone who is actually getting started in beekeeping. It contains an introduction to nearly every important topic in beekeeping, but is not in depth enough to help anyone who has bees and has questions about them.
Books:
- Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book
- Breaking the Fine Rain of Death: African American Health Issues and a Womanist Ethic of Care
- Breast MRI: Diagnosis and Intervention
- Chemistry of the Solid-Water Interface: Processes at the Mineral-Water and Particle-Water Interface in Natural Systems
- Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition
- Clinical Ethics: A Practical Approach to Ethical Decisions in Clinical Medicine
- Clinical Handbook for Maternal Newborn Nursing & Women's Health Care (7th Edition)
- Cocktails In Tahiti
- Confronting Critical Health Issues of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans
- Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science (College Version), Eighth Edition
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Shadow Roads: Book Three of the Swans' War
- The Essential Little Cruise Book, 3rd: Secrets from a Cruise Director for a Perfect Cruise Vacation
- Horse Stable and Riding Arena Design: An Agricultural Engineering Approach
- Ship Fever
- Landscape Painting Inside and Out: Capture the Vitality of Outdoor Painting in Your Studio With Oils
- Soil Science and Management
- Solving Your Child's Reading Problems
- All Aboard!: Images from the Golden Age of Rail Travel
- Mardi Gras Treasures: Invitations of the Golden Age
- Minnesota Wildflowers: A Children's Field Guide to the State's Most Common Flowers
