Today I wish to introduce you to Beekeeping for Dummies by Howland Blackiston. I have in my hand the first queen cage I received when my package of bees arrived in April of 2011. My neighbors take turns asking me why I raise honey bees and I like to reply that it’s the riskiest thing my wife will let me do. But actually I am fascinated by the life of a honey bee colony and how hard and constant the honey bees work to produce more bees and honey.
I got interested in raising bees a couple of years ago and that interest got me reading. From different websites I was led to Beekeeping for dummies and I first got it from the library to see if beekeeping was for me. As soon as I opened the book I knew I was on to something good. The first thing I learned about was the honey bee which is a member of the Apis genus family. The honey bee is amazing creature designed to work and produce and be beneficial to the environment in which it lives.
Beekeeping for dummies helped to understand if I really wanted to be a beekeeper. I never did anything like this before and my only pets have been dogs. Once I learned about honey, the pollinating benefits honey bees would provide to my gardens, the opportunity to join in the effort to save honey bees from colony collapse disorder, and the different health benefits honey bees produce I was excited to take on the responsibility of being a beekeeper. Moreover the education I have gained from beekeeping in just one year has greatly aided my knowledge of nature and how best to work with it.
I also learned the three castes of the honey bee which consist of the queen bee, female workers and their different stages and work functions and the male drone bee. It’s especially interesting to learn about what happens to the drones once fall arrives and they are forced out of the hive.
Moreover I learned how to prepare for raising honey bees. It took some time before I could convince my family that having honey bees was the right thing to do. I also learned how to approach my neighbors to inquire if they would have any issues with me raising honey bees. I was well prepared for the expense of the supplies necessary to begin beekeeping and Beekeeping for dummies provides many I found reliable sources for honey bees and bee hive components from Beekeeping for Dummies.
Some of the things that I think are really great about Beekeeping for Dummies include the step by step installation of a new package of bees. The section on how to inspect a beehive proved to be a useful resource many times over because of the attention to detail and techniques for doing inspections properly. Caring for honey bees is also explained in great detail and in a manner that is easy to learn from and put into practice quickly. There are a variety of things to be concerned about with honey bees from providing a water source to administering medications at certain times of the year. Howland Blackiston does a great job of explaining how to be a good manager without making the reader feel that this is too intimidating to try.
I also enjoyed the sections on what to do with the various honey bee products from harvesting honey, to making use of bees wax and propolis. Propolis is the sticky stuff bees excrete to close gaps within the hive and it can be used for healing minor scrapes and cuts.
Beekeeping for dummies is a great reference to have for people who love nature, animals and the outdoors. People who want to contribute to the environment would benefit from reading this book to further learn if they are ready to take the next step towards producing useful animals.
This book is available for $12 and would make a great gift for people who are unique and intrigued by the idea of producing better gardens and harvesting honey. A link to the book can be found in the show notes and book list at todolisthome.com. I will still continue to use Beekeeping for Dummies as I progress with my beekeeping endeavors. This year I am prepared to split my one hive into two and someday I may raise queen bees thanks to this book. Thank you for watching and listening now go and make room for pollinators.
What I learned from Beekeeping For Dummies
- Do I really want to become a beekeeper
- Beekeeping for just one year has greatly aided my knowledge of nature and how best to work with it
- The expense of the supplies necessary to begin beekeeping
What’s really good about this book
- Step by step installation of a new package of honey bees
- The section how to inspect a beehive carefully and in detail
- The encouragement it provides on how to be a good bee colony manager
Beekeeping For Dummies is a must read for
- People who love nature, animals and the outdoors
- People who want to contribute to the environment by producing useful animals
- People who are unique and intrigued by the idea of producing better gardens and harvesting honey