Northern Bee Books – förlag

People with a beginner's interest in bees are often disturbed to learn that their bees will die without some form of varroa mite control. I was, and some of mine did. 

Yet they didn't all perish. Data that I obtained from the Bee Informed Partnership for my region showed that the average overwintering survival rate for the bees of non-migratory beekeepers, even with chemical mite control, is around half. 

Luck, intuition, skepticism, thrift, research, the observations of others, and the help of generous online mentors has led me to develop a method that has allowed me to overwinter more than two thirds of my colonies consistently without chemical mite control. 

I have written this book to offer an alternative to traditional methods that have not been working for sustainable beekeeping. This book is meant to save you money and, increase your chances of having a surplus of bees in the spring.

Adrian Quiney RN BSN

Keeping bees in a more natural way is growing in popularity throughout the world. Older hive designs are being reappraised, and methods that have been used for over a century are being questioned.

The People's Hive of Abbe Warre (1867-1951) is one of the older designs that beekeepers find particularly attractive. Several commercial honey producers have already adapted it to fit their needs. Warre's one size box with topbars, natural comb and insulating quilt, create ideal conditions for colony vitality and survival, as well as reducing consumption of honey stores in winter. The hive is now used worldwide in climates ranging from the tropics to the taiga.

This inspiring, practical, clearly laid out book contains everything you need to know in order to build and run a Warre hive. Topics include tools, siting, obtaining and hiving bees, monitoring, feeding, wintering, enlarging the hive, harvesting and extracting honey with simple kitchen equipment. An ideal book for the aspiring natural beekeeper.

David Heaf has a Ph.D in biochemistry. After a career in research he started beekeeping in 2003 with National hives. In 2007 he populated his first Warre hive.