Review: Thorough and Comprehensive
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 13, 2012
This is quite a thorough little book, covering all the important facets of beekeeping for fun or profit.Early chapters cover the basics of a bee colony, the types of bees that exist and their functions in the colony, and the stages of development from egg to mature bee. The colony hierarchy and its requirements are also covered.Several methods of keeping bees are explored, and the tools and equipment required, including extracting and wintering equipment.Then the author begins to cover a step-by-step methodology for starting your own beehive, with several options on how to acquire your starter bees. Also covered are the best types of bees to handle (non-aggressive, don't swarm easily, produce lots of honey).Maintenance of your hives, including colony reproduction, seating new queens, and how to prevent swarming, come next. Environmental factors are covered, including how the changing seasons affect the hive.Bee diseases are addressed thoroughly, and finally methods for extracting honey are outlined.There is also an Appendix listing Common Mistakes that Beginners Make, a glossary and an FAQ.All in all, quite comprehensive.