Reading material??

[Bakerbee]

Hi all i am reading Guide to Bees and Honey by Ted Hooper. If any of you newbees havent, try to get a copy. It is so well written, laid out and explained. Im thoroughly enjoying learning from it. It has answered so many of my unasked observations. And how fasinating the bees bioligy is. Will be finished with it by end of weekend, could some of the more experienced beekeepers suggest any other must reads. Ive read quite a few that were really poor excuses for bee books, so any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[wightbees]

https://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=341

 

[Uncle Betty]

Hi all i am reading Guide to Bees and Honey by Ted Hooper. If any of you newbees havent, try to get a copy. It is so well written, laid out and explained. Im thoroughly enjoying learning from it. It has answered so many of my unasked observations. And how fasinating the bees bioligy is. Will be finished with it by end of weekend, could some of the more experienced beekeepers suggest any other must reads. Ive read quite a few that were really poor excuses for bee books, so any recommendations would be appreciated.

With the caveat that I am not an experienced beekeeper...

'The Buzz About Bees' by Jurgen Tautz will blow your mind.

'Having Healthy Honeybees' by John McMullan is concise and will bring you firmly back down to earth.

 

[alfazer]

Hooper would be the number 1 for me, but I like these too....

Ron Brown. Beekeeping, a seasonal guide. I found this one useful because the chapters are based around each month/season and what you should be doing at that time.

Clive de Bruyn, practical guide is very good too.

Any of the J.G. Digges books if you can find them. About 100 years out of date, but beautifully written, lovely books to read and have on the shelf.

I also recommend the McMullan book that Uncle Betty ^^ mentions.

Tom Seeley. He has a written a few excellent books.

 

[Millet]

With the caveat that I am not an experienced beekeeper...

'The Buzz About Bees' by Jurgen Tautz will blow your mind.

'Having Healthy Honeybees' by John McMullan is concise and will bring you firmly back down to earth.

1 Million per cent agree, i have read the book and forgot all i read but as soon as i turn a page bits come back to me, all be it slowly lol , however it is a book for second year or 20 year learners me thinks, go for the haynes bee manual and you will pull safe.

 

[Bakerbee]

Thanks everyone. I have noted all suggestions. Im realizing you can read for an eternity but still be baffled by their collective workings.

 

[wessexmario]

My reading recommendation: anything by Tom Seeley.

The Welsh Beekeepers website library has one of the best collections of online reading material too.

 

[B+.]

could some of the more experienced beekeepers suggest any other must reads.

"Understanding Bee Anatomy" by Dr. Ian Stell http://www.understandingbeeanatomy.com/sample-page/
http://www.understandingbeeanatomy.com/

 

[Teemore]

'The Buzz About Bees' by Jurgen Tautz will blow your mind.

Jurgen is one of the speakers at he INIB conference on 21st October. Mark Winston ("The Biology of the Honey Bee" and his "new" book "Bee Time: Lessons from the Hive") is the other main speaker and I have to say his books are a good read.

I'll second earlier coments about the Digges books.

 

[Eyeman]

For those that didn't get a copy in their Christmas stocking here's a free version I found on the net
View attachment the_wisdom_of_the_hive_-_the_social_physiology_of_honey_bee_colonies.pdf

 

[Poly Hive]

Manley.

Mobus on wintering.

PH

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Any of the J.G. Digges books if you can find them.

My first bee book - which my grandfather gave to me to read when I was nine and started my fascination with bees.
First published in Ireland by the Irish Bee Journal in 1904, Reprinted umpteen times until well towards the end of the last century, always plenty of good 'reading' copies available at a reasonable price. in fact there's one slightly tatty one been offered a few times on fleabay at the moment.

If you want to read some of the 'classics' just for a feel of the craft, not just for instruction - ROB Manley - Beekeeping in Britain (claimed by him to be the first book written with beginners in mind) and Honey Farming.

 

[Beefriendly]

Talking of old classics, I'd recommend "New observations on the natural history of bees" by François Huber. first published in 1792 and Free to download from here and other sources.
I'm constantly surprised by the clarity of his thoughts and observations from his many experiments that established so many of the basic facts we now take for granted, like queens mating outside the hive, getting stale if not mated within 3 weeks, bee space (which Langstroth used to great advantage for his hives).
There were some weird and wonderful ideas about how it all happened (still a few of those around today ) , which made Huber's stuff stand out. His results were so (at the time) controversial that one author wrote a book decrying everything that Huber had so eloquently written.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Not bad for a blind bloke either.

 

[coffindodger]

For those that didn't get a copy in their Christmas stocking here's a free version I found on the net
View attachment 15077

Thank you. Much appreciated.

 

[Walrus]

Manley.

Mobus on wintering.

PH