Homegrown Honey Bees An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Beekeeping Your First Year, from Hiving to Honey Harvest

As the backyard homesteading movement continues to grow, beehives are joining chicken coops in suburban yards and on city rooftops across North America. People are increasingly aware of the essential role bees play in pollinating crops, as well as the joy of harvesting honey from their own backyards. Homegrown Honey Bees introduces the basic procedures, possibilities, and pleasures of keeping bees. Spectacular macro photography brings the inner workings of the hive to life, while the passionate, playful text leads the beginning beekeeper through the first year. All the primary concerns and questions are addressed, from allergies, permits and restrictions, and potential issues with the neighbors to hive structure, colony hierarchy, and bee behavior. Beekeepers Alethea Morrison and Mars Vilaubi chronicle the happenings in their own hive and share the challenges of their first year, from replacing a failing queen bee to sustaining a colony over a cold winter, as well as the reward of tasting their first honey harvest. Beginners, dreamers, families, and educators will find this highly visual reference an indispensible guide to becoming a confident, happy beekeeper.