Book suggestions

[oliver90owner]

Here is one to avoid? Bees Make the best Pets by Jack Mingo.

Apparently (according to a Canadian paper report on the tome), bees can collect 40g of nectar, and weigh approx 130g apiece!

They find flowers by scent, not sight, and thus only forage upwind of the hive! One must not move a hive because they will not be able to find the flowers!

Propolis only comes from evergreen trees, apparently. No horse chestnut, or similar, in Canada?

I'm not sure whether it is a carp book or a dim reporter - maybe even both!. The author is reported to be an experienced apiarist.

I only have the review, sent to me by SIL who lives in Ottawa, but I cannot recommend it on the given information!

 

[pargyle]

Here is one to avoid? Bees Make the best Pets by Jack Mingo.

I'm not sure whether it is a carp book or a dim reporter - maybe even both!. The author is reported to be an experienced apiarist.

I only have the review, sent to me by SIL who lives in Ottawa, but I cannot recommend it on the given information!

It does not appear to be a Technical bee book but it's got some really good reviews on Amazon ...

[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bees-Make-Best-Pets-Collaborative/dp/1573246255"]Bees Make The Best Pets: All the Buzz about Being Resilient, Collaborative, Industrious, Generous, and Sweet- Straight from the Hive: Amazon.co.uk: Jack Mingo: 9781573246255: Books[/ame]

 

[Jimmy]

Harry Whitcombe; Bees are my Business.
Norman Rice; Queens' Land.

Julian Johnston; A Nomad Amongst the Bees.

Thanks for the suggestions Rolande, all three enjoyable, especially the first two.
In a similar vein I'd also recommend Lund's 'A man and his bees, a bee-keeper’s chronicle' and Mark Winston's more recent offerings.
After seeing a good review elsewhere I've also got John Phipps 'A beekeeper's progress' somewhere in the to-read pile.

 

[Firefly]

I'm reading The Bees by Laline Paull - which has one other reference on the forum. This is pretty weird and will not appeal to everyone - some would find it seriously irritating, I think. It's written from the perspective of a worker bee, so highly anthropomorphic. The author clearly knows a lot about bee behaviour but is happy to mix fact-based description with things that are entirely made up or actually not the reality (e.g. the role of most workers being fixed for life). So it's fringe biology, fringe fantasy, fringe Alice in Wonderland, fringe sci fi.

It's not Hooper

I'm quite enjoying it

 

[Erichalfbee]

I've read this.
Your description is spot on.
It's rubbish really but I enjoyed it.
I shed at a tear at the end

 

[dancingbee]

The Bees

I have just finished this book - and loved it!! Really worth a read.

 

[Quis Custodiet]

Priciples of practical beekeeping by Robert Couston N.D.B
F.R.E.S.

Definitely well worth reading. The author had a great deal of practical experience and this is very obvious when reading the book. I don't know if it is still in print, it certainly should be.