Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees

by Bonney, Richard E.

• ISBN13: 9781603425506
• ISBN10: 1603425500
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-09-18
• Publisher: Storey Books

Summary

Harvest your own honey, make your garden or orchard more productive, nurture local food systems, connect with nature, and help bring honey bees back from population decline. These are some of the benefits of becoming a beekeeper. Whatever your interest in honey bees, this reliable resource has all the expert advice you need to keep a thriving, productive hive.

Author Biography

Malcolm T. Sanford is author of the Apis Newsletter and many articles on beekeeping for popular and scholarly magazines. He was Extension Beekeeping Specialist at the University of Florida for 20 years and is currently Professor Emeritus in the Department of Entomology and Nematology. Richard E. Bonney was author of the books Beekeeping and Hive Management, the foundation for Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. viii
Preface	p. ix
Beginning Beekeeping	p. 1
Seven Basic Tips for Getting Started
Dimensions of Beekeeping
The Beekeeper's Commitment
Time Commitment
Financial Considerations
Stings
Legal Considerations
Finding Resources
Origin and History of Beekeeping	p. 25
Honey Bee Evolution
History of Beekeeping
A Bee's Life	p. 41
What Is a Honey Bee?
Inside the Colony
The Queen
The Worker
The Drone
The Varroa Mite
Activities and Behavior
Patterns of Behavior
Choosing Hive Location	p. 68
The Colony and Your Community
Weather Issues
Forage Availability
Getting Equipped	p. 80
Hive Design and Dimensions
Hive Materials
Supers
Frames and Foundation
How to Make a Frame with Pins
Bottom Board
Queen Excluder
Covers
Hive Stand
Hive Scale
Feeders
Pollen Trap
Tools of the Trade
Beekeeper Garb
Enter the Bees	p. 99
Smoker Basics
Package Bees
Managing Package Bees
Installing a Nucleus Colony
Starting with an Established Colony
Swarm!
A Wild or Feral Colony
Managing Honey Bee Colonies	p. 119
Working a Colony
The Beekeeper as Manager
A Colony's Yearly Life Cycle
Population Cycle
The Apicultural Calendar
Late-Season Management
Requeening
Managing Nutrition
Taking the Crop	p. 158
The Honey Crop
Harvesting the Crop
Processing the Crop
Storing the Crop
Chunk and Comb Honey
Other Bee Products
Pollination	p. 180
Unique Challenges
Small-Scale Pollination
Is Pollination for You?
Diseases and Pests of the Honey Bee	p. 188
Innate Defense Mechanisms
Brood Diseases
Adult Diseases
Parasitic Mites
Integrated Pest Management
Tolerant or Resistant Stock
Colony Collapse Disorder
Wax Moth
Small Hive Beetle
Black Bears
For More Information
Glossary	p. 230
Model Beekeeping Ordinance	p. 232
Sample Pollination Contract	p. 233
Resources	p. 235
A Sampling of U.S. Beekeeping Supply Houses
Sources of Beekeeping Information
Index	p. 239
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.