Full Description
Now updated -- your guide to becoming a successful backyard beekeeper Interested in raising honey bees? This friendly, practical guide presents a step-by-step approach to starting your own beehive, along with expert tips for maintaining a healthy colony. You get the latest on honey bee medication and treatments, harvesting and marketing your honey, and the impact the sudden disappearance of the honey bee has on our environment and economy. To bee or not to bee? -- understand the benefits of beekeeping and whether it's right for you Build your first hive -- gather the right equipment, obtain your bees, and transfer them safely to their new home Get up-close and personal -- see how to open and close the hive, inspect your bees at the right times, and know what to look for Handle common problems -- from swarming to robbing to pesticide poisoning, find simple solutions Understand Colony Collapse Syndrome -- learn what you can do to help save the honey bees Gear up for the golden harvest -- use the tools of the trade to extract honey, store it, and sell it Praise for Beekeeping For Dummies "The information a beginner needs to keep bees with confidence." -- Kim Flottum, Bee Culture Magazine "A reader-friendly guide to beekeeping for novices or beginners." -- Dewey M. Caron, Professor of Entomology, University of Delaware Open the book and find: The various types of honey bees and the role each plays in a colony Hands-on instruction in building a hive How to keep bees healthier and more productive Guidelines for all phases of honey production New information on raising your own queens Plenty of helpful, illustrative pictures to guide you The safest ways to inspect and enjoy your bees A Beekeeper's Calendar organized by climate zones
Contents
Foreward xvii Introduction 1 Part I: Falling in Love with a Bug 7 Chapter 1: To Bee or Not to Bee? 9 Chapter 2: Life Inside the Honey Bee Hive 21 Part II: Starting Your Adventure 45 Chapter 3: Alleviating Apprehensions and Making Decisions 47 Chapter 4: Basic Equipment for Beekeepers 59 Chapter 5: Obtaining and Installing Your Bees 91 Part III: Time for a Peek 109 Chapter 6: Opening Your Hive 111 Chapter 7: What to Expect when You're Inspecting 125 Chapter 8: Different Seasons, Different Activities 145 Part IV: Common Problems and Simple Solutions 163 Chapter 9: Anticipating and Preventing Potential Problems 165 Chapter 10: Colony Collapse Disorder 189 Chapter 11: Diseases and Remedies 197 Chapter 12: Honey Bee Pests 207 Chapter 13: Raising Your Own Queens 229 Part V: Sweet Rewards 247 Chapter 14: Getting Ready for the Golden Harvest 249 Chapter 15: Honey Harvest Day 263 Part VI: The Part of Tens 277 Chapter 16: (Almost) Ten Fun Things to Do with Bees 279 Chapter 17: Ten Frequently Asked Questions About Bee Behavior 305 Chapter 18: My Ten Favorite Honey Recipes 309 Appendix A: Helpful Resources 317 Appendix B: Beekeeper's Checklist 331 Glossary 335 Index 341
