Which books are most highly recommended?

[Hivemaker.]

Honey farming by R O B Manley, and Background to bee breeding by John H Atkinson.

 

[Cazza]

The Buzz about Bees by Jurgen Tautz is the most interesting bee book (of many)I've read this year. Not a manual but an informative read.
Cazza

 

[nonstandard]

My favourites as a new beek

Bees at the bottom of the garden -agreed a beginners book

Practical Beekeeping, Clive De Bruyn - A great read and a wealth of information

Ted Hooper's Guide to bees and honey - classic text

At the moment I am reading Keeping Healthy Honey Bees, David Aston - a good book

Oh and another great little book I found on eb*y for about £3 was Bees and Beekeeping by Irmgard Diemer.

 

[Poly Hive]

Ah J. Atkinson, I spent many hours trying to fathom his articles in the Quarterly, and attended his lecture at the National one year, and am not in the slightest embarrassed to admit I am none the wiser.

I am not clever enough to breed, (I have no kids BTW) and so am merely a queen raiser, not a breeder.

PH

 

[Hivemaker.]

I am not clever enough to breed, (I have no kids BTW) and so am merely a queen raiser, not a breeder.

Your a wiser man than i thought...lol.

 

[Skyhook]

I am not clever enough to breed, (I have no kids BTW)

PH

I could lend you some books on that if it would help?

 

[BT Beekeeper]

Many thanks to all. A wealth of information and good suggestions.

The consensus seems to be for the David Cramp and Clive de Bryun books and these will be top of my wish list for general reference and all-round good reading, followed closely by the Manley and Field and Simms books. Hope Santa is feeling generous! The link to Northern Bee Books will be very useful -thanks for that PH.

This Forum is brilliant and will certainly be one of my main sources of information in the future.

BTB

 

[Stiffy]

I agree that Bees at the bottom of the Garden is to my mind pretty much a very junior beginners book and certainly not one I would be pleased to receive.

PH

Quite agree and I certainly wouldn’t send a copy to someone with as much experience as you. In fact I would have great difficulty choosing a single book for many on this forum
The bees at the bottom of the garden is in my opinion not just a beginners book but also for the intermediate beek who has the basics (like me) but still needs the occasional 'nudge' to get back on course. As I originally said it is the one book I 'dip' into when needed, I also have books on queen rearing , bee genetics etc but wouldn’t recommend many as a present as they could just be left on the shelf for a very long time.

Cheers
S

 

[BeeNice]

A Practical Manual of Beekeeping: How to Keep Bees and Develop Your Full Potential as an Apiarist by David Cramp. I agree with psafloyd, I have read it through and starting it again. It gives you faith in what you are doing and you can make some money from it as well. It's filled in gapes in bee keeping for me, once I've finish it again I will be looking for another book maybe more specialised on certain area's of beekeeping.
By the way had to dig out around the bee hives to let them breathe because of the depth of snow!

 

[psafloyd]

A Practical Manual of Beekeeping: How to Keep Bees and Develop Your Full Potential as an Apiarist by David Cramp. I agree with psafloyd, I have read it through and starting it again. It gives you faith in what you are doing and you can make some money from it as well. It's filled in gapes in bee keeping for me, once I've finish it again I will be looking for another book maybe more specialised on certain area's of beekeeping.
By the way had to dig out around the bee hives to let them breathe because of the depth of snow!

The beauty of this book is this guy has worked as a commercial beekeeper and has a rather broader experience, plus on different continents. His prose style is very accessible and I found it a useful and complementary text for the 'classics'.

 

[Skyhook]

My favourites as a new beek


At the moment I am reading Keeping Healthy Honey Bees, David Aston - a good book

Has anyone else read this? I seem to recall it was launched in a blaze of glory, I was thinking of getting it for Christmas.

 

[fox403]

Collins beekeeping bible seems a good read. Priced it at waterstones today £30 purchased it off amazon 13.50

 

[macow]

Just finished reading The Beemaster of Warrilow by Tickner Edwardes,,,a truly beautiful read from an age when beekeeping and beekeepers practiced beekeeping as an art and not so much of a science. It reminded me that there is still much to learn from those that have gone before
Marc