Beekeeping For Dummies 4th Edition by Howland Blackiston

Beekeeping For Dummies!

This well-known and much-loved book is perfect for getting started with beekeeping.

It’s a good introduction to what you’ll need to get started and how to best care for bees. It is full of invaluable advice from beekeeping expert Howland Blackiston and continues to be updated periodically.

Check out this info to find out if it might be the best beekeeping book for you.

Beekeeping For Dummies

beekeeping for dummies review

Beekeeping for Dummies can be purchased in Paperback or on Kindle.

The Fourth Edition has been well received and has obtained well over 1000 good reviews on Amazon.

It’s unusual for a book like this, on the topic of beekeeping, to be so well-reviewed. Beekeepers are somewhat notorious for their differing opinions on matters relating to their craft, and they don’t tend to be shy about sharing them.

However, Beekeeping For Dummies tends to get the stamp of approval from both newbies and experienced keepers alike.

It discusses things like bee suits and beekeeping veils, but stops short of talking about bee bearding!

Howland Blackiston

Howland Blackiston, the author of Beekeeping For Dummies, has been working with bees for well over 30 years.

His information and advice are derived from a long history of experience and study.

Not only does Howard work with bees, but he is well known for his work with bee products. He has a lot of experience making mead, beeswax candles, and many other honey and wax products.

Take a look at the following Bees For Dummies video, featuring Blackiston, to see his depth of knowledge and style of presentation.

What’s Inside The Cover?

The book is broken up into 6 parts and contains 20 extremely helpful and interesting chapters.

The points that follow are just a glimpse of what’s inside Beekeeping For Dummies.

There is so much more than what I’m listing here.

Part 1: Taking Flight with Beekeeping

  • The benefits of beekeeping
  • What your potential is
  • Deciding on an approach to take
  • Bee language
  • Bee body parts
  • Honey bee lifecycle

Part 2: Starting Your Adventure

  • Overcoming apprehensions such as issues with neighbors or sting phobia
  • Where to keep your new hive
  • The different types of hive
  • The parts of a hive
  • Basic Equipment
  • Obtaining and installing your bees

Part 3: Time for a Peek

  • The first 8 weeks of a colony
  • Opening and inspecting your hive
  • Lighting smokers
  • What to expect when inspecting
  • What to do with your hive in different seasons
  • The beekeepers’ calendar

Part 4: Common Problems and Simple Solutions

  • What to do if your queen has disappeared
  • Dealing with robbing frenzies
  • How to prevent pesticide poisoning
  • Colony Collapse Disorder
  • Preventing honey bee pests
  • How to raise a queen

Part 5: Sweet Rewards

  • The history of honey
  • Honey composition
  • Food and healing with honey
  • How to extract honey from your hive
  • Knowing when to extract
  • Harvesting wax

Part 6: The Part of Tens

  • Dividing colonies and hives
  • Combining colonies and hives
  • Brewing with honey
  • Making gifts from beeswax
  • FAQs about bee behavior
  • Recipes

Again, this is not a comprehensive list of everything contained in the book.

You can see the full table of contents here by clicking on ‘Look Inside’.

Beekeeping For Dummies Videos

You can find a series of 6 videos put out by Dummies Guides and Howard Blackiston.

They give you a good idea as to the content of the book.

How To Hive Your Bees For Dummies

How To Make A Beehive Frame For Dummies

How To Light Your Smoker For Dummies

How To Open Your Beehive For Dummies

How To Install A Wax Foundation For Dummies

Beekeeping For Dummies PDF

Don’t settle for less than the real thing and avoid copyright infringement.

The book is very cheap, and it’s worth the money.

I recommend getting the Paperback book so that you can easily flick to the section you need. That way it’s easier to refer back to relevant sections as well.

More honey bee info here:

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