BBKA Forum

I am in my second year of beekeeping and have read a number of books/articles etc. Can anyone recommend any further books for someone at my stage in their beekeeping career?

Many thanks in advance.

Have you read the Haynes bee manual..?.

Steve 1972 wrote:Have you read the Haynes bee manual..?.

Thanks. Haven’t read that - will look it up on amazon/ebay.

Steve 1972 wrote: ↑

23 May 2020, 22:00

Have you read the Haynes bee manual..?.

I was going to say the same, we were given the BBKA guide to beekeeping on our initial course but I find it a little disjointed.

Great- thanks

Clive de Bruyn’s Practical Beekeeping is excellent and readily digestible.

The Buzz about Bees. Biology of a Superorganism by Jürgen Tautz..not so much about beekeeping...more to do with biology and behavior.. i have not read the full book but what i have read is very interesting..it opened my eyes to how special these little insects really are..

For a second year beekeeper, I think the Haynes Bee manual is still an excellent choice and it was my go-to book for the first three/four years especially for the clear explanation and graphics for things like swarming!
I had Clive de Bruyn's Practical beekeeping from the outset but I think it will mean more in a year or so. The BBKA book is in my view poorly organised with information all over the place.
There are lots of good beekeeping books and I enjoy finding "new" ones to read in the second-hand bookshops such as they have in towns and NT properties. Avoid titles such as the Golden Hoard (flowery language) but if you could get a copy of Kenneth K Clark's Beekeeping (1951?) it's a real gem and I see there are two copies available on Amazon for around £10 - £12 - clearest explanation of swarming and NUC use I have yet found.

I would highly recommend "Swarming. It's control and prevention" by Snelgrove. Whilst he didn't understand the real reasons behind swarming he got the methodology just about spot on. Not only does it cover His own methods (perhaps in a little too much detail) he also covers several other methods of swarm control or prevention, like demaree, Simmins and others I'd never heard of.

Thanks for the recommendations everyone. Popping on to Amazon/ebay now!