Book to progress my beekeeping

[drex]

Have just finished my second season, and sat my basic BBKA exam.

Have looked at the posts so far and they are all book recommendations for beginners, which in terms of experience applies, but I want to look deeper.

I have read Hooper - guide to bees and honey, Cramp - a practical manual and his field guide, de Bruyn -practical beekeeping and Tautz - buzz about bees.

I have just been given a £25 bee book voucher, and want to buy a book to progress my beekeeping. Queen rearing or microscopy quite grab me, but all suggestions welcome.

Thanks

 

[BKF Admin]

Have you read any Manley ?

 

[jakethedog]

book vouchers are special things...to be used on special books so how about 'Honeybee Democracy' by Thomas Seeley as a starter?

Now, although it's not applicable to your specific question, if you had wrote that you have £25ish cash to spend on a book I would suggest a subscription to either Bee Culture or American Bee Journal -interesting articles, cutting edge research reports, how-to-do-it write ups -and you get the treat of having 12 monthly issues delivered to your door.

 

[jakethedog]

Have you read any Manley ?

oh yes! should be compulsory!

 

[drex]

No, not read Manley- any suggestions - Honey Farming?

 

[Poly Hive]

Read all three. Bear in mind we are still using his ideas today. Thymol and frame.

Wonderful if a little old style now but very very informative.

American mags are interesting but... the applicability is very off target for our climate.

PH

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

"Beekeeping" Ron Brown.

 

[jakethedog]

interesting, what's so special about our climate? seem to remember manley writing that he'd not got anywhere until he started to embrace the American methods. Just curious.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Manleys books are good,a man who was ahead of his time.
Also, A background to bee breeding by John H Atkinson is a good book.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

Queen rearing essentials Lawrence, John Connor
Queen Rearing, Vince Cook
Queen Bee: Biology, Rearing and Breeding, David Woodward
Breeding Techniques and Selection for Breeding of the Honeybee, Freidrich Ruttner

re microscopes and bees. Eric Marson Practical Microscope is excellent (but out of print)

BBKA Micrscopy study notes

basically the microscopy end isn't too bee focused but some good general texts. Gets better if you want to specialise like Pollen.

Snodgrass and Dade make excellent classic anatomy texts

re R.O.B Manley books try Honey Production in British Isles or Honey farming, both excellent

or wide of the mark suggestion..

At The Hive Entrance, H Storch

 

[jimbeekeeper]

,a man who was ahead of his time.

Apart from Bill Turnbulls book!, what recent publications will be the Manley's of the future?

 

[Poly Hive]

What is special about our climate?

We don't have one.

What we do have is a massive connecting series of mini climates.

In Florida for instance they pretty much know what is going to happen when and it is pretty predictable.

We ain't got a clue from one day to the next.

Manley embraced the simplicity of the American Langstroth hives.

I gently add I read all the ABJ's and Gleanings from 1948 to 1990 I think it was. so I am pretty aware of how they go.

PH

 

[jakethedog]

PH, I've already read a post by you in one thread or another which mentions that you took those magazines in the past so in that sense I didn't ask my question blind.

I think the important thing, not just in beekeeping, is to develop a mindset that allows us to not only read between the lines but to take the useful stuff (at least what we think will be useful) and trial/adapt it to our own environment. I'm not referring to crazy schemes which have no chance of working but rather, practical things which 'ring a bell' in our heads. Your moniker itself is evidence that you're not afraid to 'have a go' at something new.

Many of the books which will be mentioned in this thread will be American in origin and as for the British books the only one I can think of off the top of my head which makes any real attempt to address regional differences in climate is Sixty Years With Bees by Donald Sims.

I'm not going to labour this -we've both put our point of view and to be fair you're not dismissing the US journals out of hand. I'll leave it for others to make their own decisions although I admit that it could be an expensive investment if it transpires that the purchase is later deemed to be a 'mistake' (compounded by a further eleven issues dropping through the letter box at regular intervals!).

 

[jakethedog]

Apart from Bill Turnbulls book!, what recent publications will be the Manley's of the future?

Sixty Years With Bees by Donald Sims (which, drex, is also a good one to put on your list. How much is your book token for!!).

 

[Waxing]

"Keeping Healthy Honey Bees" by David Aston & Sally Bucknall, published in 2010 by Northern Bee Books, ISBN No. 978-1-904846-54-3 RRP £16.99.
Wivenhoe Bookshop 01206 824050 will get it in next day for you.
This is a book used by Bee Inspectors and is a very readable text book.