Any Good Bee Books?

[michaelaao]

Last week I read “A Book of Bees” by Sue Hubbell. I had heard of this book and had seen it referenced many times in other books. It’s a very good book. Nice and light with plenty of hard facts and solid ideas. I think even folks not into beekeeping would enjoy it. I found myself nodding my head and smiling a lot when reading this book. This is the type of book I like to read in the winter when there’s not much you can do with the bees. There were a couple 3 or 4 parts that were a little too soft for me, but don’t let that keep you from reading it. Its only a couple of hundred pages and well worth the time. I only wish I had read it sooner.

I have another bee book here I was planning on reading but I can’t remember the name and I’m too lazy to get up and look. I got sidetracked this weekend rereading one of my favorite fishing books but the temperature is dropping here again so I should have plenty of time this week to get it done and get back to you.

Any one else reading anything good?

Michael

[tecumseh]

might I suggest Richard Taylor 'the Joy of Beekeeping'.

not too long, reads nicely, lots of information.

[bluegrass]

I really liked Bees in America; How the honey bee shaped a nation. by Tammy horn.

I barrowed it from the library a couple of years ago and have since bought my own copy.

[riverrat]

I like bees by Dr Karl Von Frisch

[fatscher]

Highly recommend any book by Dr. Lawrence J. Connor (Bee Sex Essentials and Increase Essentials). But, in particular, is a book I'm proud to own and I find a good read and very informative -- Hive Management by Richard Bonney. Hive Management was published in the 90's and is not very up to date with today's challenges of mites, but his chapters on making splits gives good insight to the hobbyist or sideliner on the value of paying attention to thinking ahead. The underlying theme of Bonney's book is what you do today, should shape where you want your hive to be in the next 3-4 months.

[msfxJeep]

When I was in high school my first beekeeping book was "First Lessons in Beekeeping" by Dadant. I still have it, and it's very worn. I still like to pull it out from time to time, more for nostalgia than anything else.

My second book was "The Beekeeper's Handbook" by Roger Morse.

[Rob Renneker]

I also highly recommend Increase Essentials and Bee Sex essentials, they are definately my favorite. I reference these two books all the time. I am currently reading "50 Years among the Bees" by C.C. Miller and have been enjoying that book as well. "Hive Management" by Richard Bonney is also a well written book that takes you through the seasons and what the author recommends you should be doing with the bees at each time of the year.

[Michael Palmer]

"A year's work in an out apiary" by GM Doolittle
"Beekeeping at Buckfast Abbey" by Brother Adam

[Hobie]

"At the hive entrance" by H. Storch and
"Bees: Their Vision, Chemical Senses and Language" by Karl von Frisch.

The latter sounds hideously dry, but is actually a good read and fascinating.

[Grandpa Jim]

"Allen Latham's BEE BOOK" Interesting read about beekeeping in the late 1800s and early 1900s. A great idea from the book is a slice of comb honey on a fresh baked hotdog roll that he would sell at fairs.

[michaelaao]

I just read “Fruitless Fall” by Rowan Jacobson, subtitled “The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis“. The title and sub pretty much tell it all. I really enjoyed this book. The author uses CCD to tell the story of bees and their connection to our everyday life. This is a book that all beekeepers should read and recommend to people not in the hobby. Only a couple hundred pages and well worth your time.

Michael

[danwyns]

Many good reccomendations already given. I just added The Buzz about Bees: Biology of a superorganism by Jurgen Tautz to my bee library. It's fantastic with loads of amazing photos by Helga Heilmann. It's written from a biologists perspective rather than a beeks-- really good science layed out for a common audience. It's full of great info, but worth buying for the photos alone.

dw

[bentonbee]

I especially like old bee books. Fifty Years Among the Bees by CC Miller is in a reprint, you can find it on Amazon and it is got a lot of bee wisdom in it. Another of my favorites is A Living From Bees by Frank Pelett. There are so many good ones. My first favorite was How To Keep Bees and Sell Honey by Walter T Kelley and you can still get it from the Walter T Kelley company for not much money. It has lots of pictures in it. I have over 30 books on beekeeping. Most I have bought used from Amazon or ebay.
Pastor Mike

[deknow]

yes, this book is an absolute must read. ...i do wish there were details of the experiments that lead to his conclusions however....and i'm puzzled by the complete lack of mention of the microbes in the hive.

also, there is a new book by e.o. wilson and another author called "superorganism" about bees and ants....a big fat book.

deknow

Many good reccomendations already given. I just added The Buzz about Bees: Biology of a superorganism by Jurgen Tautz to my bee library. It's fantastic with loads of amazing photos by Helga Heilmann. It's written from a biologists perspective rather than a beeks-- really good science layed out for a common audience. It's full of great info, but worth buying for the photos alone.

dw