Beekeeping For Dummies. Howland Blackiston

you how to anticipate the most common problems. Find out what to do if your hive swarms or simply packs up and leaves. Discover how to recognize problems with brood production and your precious queen.

       Provides the latest information about topics that are all the buzz in the media: colony collapse disorder (CCD), backyard pollination, the critical role that good bee nutrition plays in keeping your colony strong, healthy, and disease-free. Discover the nutritional value eating honey. Find out what you can do to help save the honey bees.

       Takes a detailed look at bee illnesses. Learn what medications you can use to keep your bees healthy and productive, year after year. Learn how to ensure optimum nutrition and living conditions for you bees to avoid illness in the first place. Discover natural approaches to keeping bees healthy that avoid or minimize the use of any chemicals.

       Teaches you the basics of raising your own queen bees for fun and profit.

       Gives you a yummy chapter 100 percent about honey. Find out about its influence throughout history, what it’s composed of, the many different kinds and characteristics of honey, and how honey is used for health and wellness.

       Gives you a step-by-step approach for harvesting, bottling, and marketing your honey.

      I also include some back-of-book materials, including helpful bee-related websites, journals, suppliers, and beekeeping associations. I give you a glossary of bee and beekeeping terms that you can use as a handy quick reference and some templates for creating your own beekeeping checklists and logs. Finally, there are some valuable discount coupons from major vendors that you can take advantage of to manage your hives, purchase equipment, and subscribe to one of the leading bee journals.

Foolish Assumptions

      If you’ve never kept bees, this book has all the information you need to get started in beekeeping. I assume that you have no prior knowledge of the equipment, tools, and techniques.

      However, if you’ve been a beekeeper for a while, this book is a terrific resource for you, too. You’ll find the latest ideas on how to keep your bees healthier and more productive, as well as natural alternatives to traditional medication approaches. And if you’re a city dweller, you’ll benefit from the special hints and guidelines that are unique to urban beekeeping. You’ll appreciate the way the book has been organized for easy and ongoing reference. I include a whole lot of “tricks of the trade.” In short, this book is for just about anyone who’s fallen in love with the bountiful honey bee.

Icons Used in This Book

      Peppered throughout this book are helpful icons that present special types of information to enhance your reading experience and make you a stellar beekeeper.

      

Think of these tips as words of wisdom that — when applied — can make your beekeeping experience more pleasant and fulfilling!

      

These warnings alert you to potential beekeeping boo-boos that could make your experiences unpleasant and/or your little winged friends unhappy or downright miserable. Take them to heart!

      

I use this icon to point out things that need to be so ingrained in your beekeeping consciousness that they become habits. Keep these points at the forefront of your mind when caring for your bees.

      

Urban beekeeping involves special considerations and techniques. For those of you keeping bees in a city environment, these hints and suggestions will come in very handy.

      

The trend these days is to be very judicial about the use of chemicals in the hive — or to avoid them completely. Use this icon to learn about natural, nonchemical methods for ensuring your colony’s health and otherwise dealing with problems.

Beyond the Book

      There is much more information available from your author, and from the For Dummies brand, for your learning pleasure. Check out these resources to find out more about the art of beekeeping:

       The Cheat Sheet gives you quick reference tasks that you need to complete at various times of the year. Find out what you need to do in summer and winter to care for and protect your bees. To get this Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Beekeeping For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.

       For Dummies online videos are available at www.dummies.com/go/beekeepingfd5e. You can see everything from installing your bees to lighting a smoker. Watching me perform these tasks is an invaluable help to new and seasoned beekeepers.

       And, although this book includes information about different beehives, I give you much more information in Building Beehives For Dummies (Wiley).

Where to Go from Here

      You can start anywhere with For Dummies books, but there’s a logic to beginning at the beginning. If that’s not in your personality, consider starting with Chapter 5 to see what equipment you’ll need to get started. Then move over to Chapter 6 to determine what kind of honey bee is right for you and what to do the day your “girls” arrive at your home.

      You may have some apprehension about working around bees, such as stings and whether your neighbors will be comfortable with your new hobby. Check out Chapter 3 to get some ideas on how to win over your neighbors with information and jars of delicious honey.

      Colony collapse disorder has been in the news over the last few years. Chapter 11 takes an in-depth look at this problem and answers common questions. Chapter 8 gives you info and advice about inspecting your hives and your bees, and Chapters 12 and 13 tell you what to do if you find mites or other potentially fatal problems with your bees.

      Chapter 15 is all about honey. Sweet, sticky, golden honey. You learn about the health benefits as well as a little about the history and the medicinal benefits. You find out how to gather and process your honey in Chapters 16 and 17. And after all the work is done and you have pounds of the sweet stuff, Chapters 18 and 20 give you directions for everything from brewing your own mead (honey wine) to making your own lip balm, along with lots of yummy honey-inspired recipes.

      My advice is to not hurry through this book. There’s a lot of information here, and all of it will help you be a better beekeeper. Whether you’re in the country, in a subdivision, or you’re planning on an urban rooftop beehive, there’s something here for you.