{"id":2927,"date":"2023-12-20T15:10:27","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T20:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/?p=2927"},"modified":"2023-12-27T17:47:51","modified_gmt":"2023-12-27T22:47:51","slug":"best-beekeeping-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/best-beekeeping-books\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Best Beekeeping Books (Updated for 2024)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated on December 27th, 2023<\/p>\n

Educating yourself is one of the important steps in beginning beekeeping. While we try to help you along based on our experience, it really helps to have books handy to provide detailed guidance or help resolve an issue. Beekeeping books are indispensable resources for any beekeeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are the best beekeeping books we own and use. Some of them are among the most recommended and best-selling books you can find about beekeeping. A few of them may be unknown to you. All of them are written by noted experts in the field.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ll break down our best beekeeping books into general categories, describe the content, and give a little background on the authors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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See our related article How To Start Beekeeping<\/a><\/strong> for more on beginning beekeeping.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Best Beekeeping Books For Beginners<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The Beekeeper\u2019s Handbook<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you only buy one beekeeping book as a newbie, The Beekeeper\u2019s Handbook<\/em> is the one to get. <\/strong>Initially published in 1978, the book is currently in its Fifth Edition, which arrived in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Beekeeper’s Handbook<\/em> is the most used book in our beekeeping library. Beginning with \u201cfun facts\u201d listed on the inside front cover, The Beekeeper\u2019s Handbook<\/em> is full of information useful to both beginning and experienced beekeepers, supported by over 100 detailed illustrations and a glossary of terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fun fact example: \u201cLethal dose of venom is 10 stings\/pound of body weight.\u201d So, let\u2019s see that\u2019s 10 times\u2026never mind. Let\u2019s just say I hope I never need to do that math!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Beginning with Chapter 1 \u2013 “Understanding Bees” the authors cover newbie info like “Beekeeping Equipment” (Chapter 3) right through getting bees, seasonal management, hive products, and pest control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Various beekeeping techniques are presented in detail,\nincluding step-by-step instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more advanced beekeepers, there are topics such as queen\nrearing and an extensive list of references for additional research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s a drawback to this book, it\u2019s the focus on the Langstroth hive to the exclusion of other options such as the Warr\u00e9 and Top Bar Hives. We believe this is a minor issue for the beginning beekeeper since we strongly recommend starting with Langstroth hives, as they are the most common and widely used variation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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See our article The Best Type Of Beehive For Beginners (And Why)<\/a><\/strong> for more information.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Beekeeper’s Handbook<\/em> is an excellent start to your beekeeping library and can be a source of valuable information for years.<\/p>\n\n\n