What books are you reading poll

[the beehive lodge]

Stiffy
The book by Bill turnbull was a good read ideal for the light reading it told
the story of how he started and how it fitted in with his job
a book anyone can read not very educational about bees but a good read 10/10 get it

 

[Queens59]

Just started: Robbing the Bees - Holley Bishop. Quite American in the 'this is what I do' and the 'my best friend does'...but the history bits are OK - if a bit repetitive...

 

[the beehive lodge]

The complete handbook of Bee-Keeping

The complete handbook of Bee-Keeping by Herbert Mace
just started it looks good thing are in inches and not metres my kind of book will let you all know my rating

 

[*ZhG*StGeorge]

Ok

just getting into this and I started with a book from the National Trust called Keeping Bees by Vivian Hean. Got me interested and made me want to find out more and looked at it from a beginners point of view.

Then Keeping Bees a complete practical guide by Paul Peacock. Again gave me a little more information and for a beginner seems quite a good book.

The Bad beekeepers Guide by Bill Turnbull. Good fun to read, not too much information but lots of laughs and worth asking for a Christmas present.

From the list of books on here I have read 'Bees at the Bottom of the Garden' by Alan Campion. Excellent book, kept my interest and lots of useful information that will come in handy as I get to grips with this facinating subject.

The last book(s) were loaned to me by a friend who's father used to keep bees for a living and was used as his 'bible'. It's called 'Bees and Beekeeping Scientific and Practical and is by Frank R Cheshire F.R.S and F.R.M.S and is dated 1888. I have read very little of the 1st book as it is the scientific part but the second is full of great stuff.

Did you know that the reason we use smoke is because we frighten the bees to thinking there is a fire breathing ogre after them? The important parts have been underlined in pencil throughout the book and it is facinating what was important in those times and the various comments the writer made about other beeks of the time.

Not finished yet, will try and keep hold of the book and record any of the bits I find amazing and compare it to today's thinking.

 

[Queens59]

Yep - old books are great aren't they? It always amazes me too how pieces of information like the smoker, transfers from book to book down the years. Even seemingly obscure bits of knowledge appear in all sorts of places - cool really though, as it shows that knowledge is passed from old beek to new beek...

 

[TBRNoTB]

Yep - old books are great aren't they? It always amazes me too how pieces of information like the smoker, transfers from book to book down the years. Even seemingly obscure bits of knowledge appear in all sorts of places - cool really though, as it shows that knowledge is passed from old beek to new beek...

Hi
Just reading 'Beekeeping' by Frank Vernon published in 1976 one of the Teach Yourself series of books, donated by my daughters F-in-L. Now up to page 57 coincidently about smoking (bees!) small world.
Regards
TBRNoTB

 

[TBRNoTB]

£9.00 you say!

£9? nine pounds! day light robbery, £9 you say? A yorkshireman could live on that for a year and include a summer holiday. The price of some of these books. Don't even get me started on the fact you also have to pay for this interweb access thingy and the obligatory computator device.

Nine pounds? nine pounds you say! Every year we used to travel from Leigh, Lancashire to Scarborough. £7/2/6 for a family of five, meals thrown in. got too much though going up in leaps and bounds 1/- here 1/- there, went up 2/6 one year! Dad decided Yorkshire wasn't what it used to be, so we stayed home! Still miss Peasehome Park, the train and naval battles on the lake.

Regards
TBRNoTB

 

[the beehive lodge]

a guide to keeping bees in the city

Just got a new book by craig Hughes (urban beekeeping)
im chomping at the bit but my wife as band me as it a christmas prezzie
is it a good read ?

 

[the beehive lodge]

Collins Beekeeper's Bible

got this from trafford library so pleased with it ive bought it off Ebay £13.99 with free p&p rrp £30 i'll be sending this back to Trafford as soon as mine gets here so anyone with a trafford council card can get it

 

[nonstandard]

I'm a good way through 'Keeping Healthy Honey Bees' by David Aston and Sally Bucknall at the moment. I borrowed it from the library but the better half has just bought it for me from the book depository for £2 less than amazon.

It's bang up to date and very informative, my only gripe is that the colour plates of good brood, bad brood etc. are quite small. However that may have something to do with my eyesight as my arms seem to be at full stretch these days while reading

 

[canmase]

the better half has just bought it for me from the book depository for £2 less than amazon.

here a 10% discount code for the Book Depository, valid until 16th May
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/ppenews?a_aid=code

 

[Milfoil]

Currently re-reading the following which I bought a few years ago . . .

Natural Beekeeping - Ross Conrad
ISBN-10: 1933392088
ISBN-13: 978-1933392080

Seems sensible enough but I don't have the experience to know yet.

Complete and Easy guide to Beekeeping - Kim Flottum
ISBN-10: 1845430212
ISBN-13: 978-1845430214

(The word 'Easy' caught my attention . . . nuf said!) Seems like a perfectly practical guide to the basics.

The Sacred Bee in Ancient Times - Hilda M Ransome
ISBN-10: 048643494X
ISBN-13: 978-0486434940

Wonderful beliefs, lore and customs from around the globe. Very interesting.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Buzz about Bees: Biology of a Superorganism. Jürgen Tautz, Helga R. Heilmann and David C. Sandeman

Good read, very interesting and great pics.

 

[Ellem]

Back onto Hooper ... again!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

At the moment I'm switching back and fore between Ted Hooper and Clive de Bruyn and just been passed a little pamphlet by HM Pearson called beestings and how to avoid them.
Hooper
interesting reading - 10
funny side of our little girls - 0
easy reading - 10
educational value - 10
price value - 10
reconmend rate - 10

de Bruyn
interesting reading - 10
funny side of our little girls - 0
easy reading - 10
educational value - 8
price value - 7
reconmend rate - 10

Pearson (bought for £1.50)
interesting reading - 10 - (for the first part on the mechanics of the sting)
funny side of our little girls - 0
easy reading - 10
educational value - 5 (amusement value 7)
price value - 10 for the price my mate paid for it: 1.5 for the price asked on Abebooks (app£15.00)
reconmend rate - 2 or 5 for brief chuckle moment see thread:
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=11819

 

[nelletap]

The Beekeepers Pupil is a good read. Based around the time of the French Revolution, it centres around a man who goes blind but wants to research into bees when not much was known. He takes on an assistant who can see to record the visible outcomes so it is a little about the household and quite a lot about early bee practise and knowledge. Well, I liked it anyway.

 

[Poly Hive]

Just a wee heads up as I see Mr Flotum mentioned and for them what dinna know he is/was ed of the famous magazine in the USA: Gleanings or as it used to be called Gleanings in Bee Culture.

You can bet the majority of his info is North American based and may well not suit our climate.

Beware.

PH

 

[Robin_Bee]

I've read a couple of books from the library on beekeeping over the past few years, but I can't remember what, or who they were by. I am just venturing out with bees after many a long years wait for suitable circumstances.

Currently studying Bees at the bottom of the garden, Alan Campion.
Great book for a beginner like me, though I would like to see more pictures of brood, pollen, honey, eggs, etc. The illustrations are good however, and his writing style is like being face to face with this great man, as I'm sure most here will be aware.

The Barefoot beekeeper, by Philip Chandler. This book is promoting the natural way to keep bees, with the bees foremost in mind, as opposed to what the keeper will get out of them.
I love this book, but I can't see how a beginner would be able to manage a TB hive without a mentor on hand. I wouldn't have the courage to even try.
He does claim that this is an easy cheap method, with the hives easy to make. I agree with that last bit. But easy? I wouldn't be confident, so I bought a national. Maybe one day. I've watched everything on Youtube by Philip Chandler, as well as heard his podcasts. I would guess he is a wonderful tutor.

 

[Greatbigchicken]

I've read lots of bee keeping books. I've found Beekeeping for Dummies is quite good the the total beginner, breaks things down into words of 1 syllable but is written for the American market.

My favorite book is Bees and Honey by Hooper, it is a great book which I go back to again and again.

The Bad Beekeepers Club by Bill Turnbull whilst not educational was amusing and made me realise that I'm not not only newbie, everyone started somewhere and it's OK to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. By the way, that is also why I like this forum.

 

[judi678]

Green Guides Keeping Bees by Pam Gregory and Claire Waring and also The Beekeepers Handbook by Owen Meyer