Beekeeping For Dummies

Howland Blackiston has been keeping bees for almost 40 years. He has appeared as an expert on CNBC, CNN, NPR, The Discovery Channel, Sirius Satellite Radio, and other broadcast outlets, and has written numerous articles on beekeeping. Howland has been a keynote speaker at conferences in more than 40 countries.

Foreword xvii Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 3 Icons Used in This Book 4 Beyond the Book 4 Where to Go from Here 5 Part 1: Taking Flight with Beekeeping 7 Chapter 1: To Bee, or Not to Bee? 9 Discovering the Benefits of Beekeeping 10 Harvesting liquid gold: Honey 11 Bees as pollinators: Their vital role to our food supply 11 Being part of the bigger picture: Save the bees! 13 Getting an education: And passing it on! 13 Improving your health: Bee therapies and stress relief 15 Determining Your Beekeeping Potential 16 Environmental considerations 16 Zoning and legal restrictions 16 Costs and equipment 17 Time and commitment 18 Beekeeper personality traits 18 Allergies 19 Deciding Which Beekeeping Approach to Follow 19 Medicated beekeeping 20 Natural beekeeping 20 Organic beekeeping 21 Combining approaches 21 Chapter 2: Getting to Know Your Honey Bees 23 Basic Body Parts 24 Skeleton 24 Head 25 Thorax 26 Abdomen 27 The Amazing Language of Bees 27 Pheromones 27 Shall we dance? 28 Getting to Know the Male and the Two Female Castes 29 Her majesty, the queen 29 The industrious little worker bee 32 House bees 33 Field bees 36 The woeful drone 37 The Honey Bee Life Cycle 39 Egg 39 Larva 41 Pupa 42 Other Stinging Insects 43 Bumblebee 44 Carpenter bee 44 Mason bee 45 Wasp 45 Yellow jacket 46 Bald-faced hornet 47 Part 2: Starting Your Adventure 49 Chapter 3: Alleviating Apprehensions and Making Decisions 51 Overcoming Sting Phobia 52 Knowing what to do if youre stung 53 Watching for allergic reactions 54 Building up a tolerance 54 Understanding Local Laws and Ordinances 55 Easing the Minds of Family and Neighbors 55 Location, Location, Location: Where to Keep Your Hives 57 Knowing what makes a perfect bee yard 57 Urban considerations 59 Understanding the correlation between geographical area and honey flavors 64 Knowing When to Start Your Adventure 64 Chapter 4: Selecting a Hive Thats Perfect for You 67 The Langstroth Hive 68 The Kenyan Top Bar Hive 70 The Apimaye Insulated Hive 73 The Flow Hive 75 The Warr (Peoples) Hive 78 The Five-Frame Nuc Hive 81 The Observation Hive 83 Make a Beeline to the Best Beehive 86 Hives for harvesting honey 87 Hives for pollinating your garden 87 A hive for learning and teaching 88 Chapter 5: Basic Equipment for Beekeepers 91 Starting Out with the Langstroth Hive 92 Knowing the Basic Woodenware Parts of the Langstroth Hive 92 Hive stand 93 Bottom board 93 Entrance reducer 95 Deep-hive body 96 Queen excluder 97 Shallow or medium honey super 98 Frames 100 Foundation 103 Inner cover 106 Outer cover 106 Knowing the Basic Parts of a Top Bar Hive 108 The top bar 108 Everything else 109 Ordering Hive Parts 110 Startup hive kits 110 Setting up shop 111 Adding on Feeders 112 Hive-top feeder 112 Entrance feeder 114 Pail feeder 115 Baggie feeder 116 Frame feeder 117 Top Bar hive feeders 118 Fundamental Tools 118 Smoker 119 Hive tool and frame lifter 119 Bee-Proof Clothing 120 Veils 120 Gloves 122 Really Helpful Accessories 123 Elevated hive stand 123 Frame rest 125 Bee brush 125 Slatted rack 126 Screened bottom board 126 Beekeepers toolbox 128 Chapter 6: Obtaining and Installing Your Bees 131 Determining the Kind of Bee You Want 132 Deciding How to Obtain Your Initial Bee Colony 135 Ordering package bees 135 Buying a nuc colony 136 Purchasing an established colony 138 Capturing a wild swarm of bees 138 Picking a Reputable Bee Supplier 139 Deciding When to Place Your Order 141 The Day Your Girls Arrive 142 Bringing home your bees 142 Recipe for sugar syrup 143 Putting Your Bees into the Hive 144 Hiving steps for Langstroth type hives and Steps 17 for Top Bar hives 144 Hiving Steps 814 for Top Bar hives 150 Watching