Table of Contents

Introduction Chapter 1 - Life history of the honey bee - Castes of the honey bee - The Western honey bee and its subspecies - Lifecycle of the honey bee - Mating and drone congregation areas - Life as a young adult bee - Collecting nectar and pollen - Communications and navigation - Honey bees as superorganisms - Superorganism decision making Chapter 2 - Basic equipment and protective clothing - Equipment - Protective clothing Chapter 3 - Constructing hives - Constructing a hive - Other parts of a hive Chapter 4 - Frames and how to build them - Frames - Cleaning used frames - Attaching foundation to the frame - Using wax or plastic foundation - Using plastic sides for frames Chapter 5 - Your first bees - Obtaining your first bees - What kind of bees should I keep? - Should I buy an established hive or catch a swarm? - Swarms and swarm catching - Transferring an established colony - Moving hives - General maintenance and inspections during the first year Chapter 6 - Locating your bees - Locating hives on your property - Hive position in summer and winter - Urban beekeeping - Feeding bees water Chapter 7 - Spring and summer management - Inspections - Inspecting hives during late spring and summer - what is involved? - Managing the build-up of bees in your hive to maximise honey production - Managing the honey flow - Merging colonies - Feeding syrup - Sugar candy - Feeding pollen or pollen substitute - Swarms - Splits - Demaree method - Providing hives for pollination - Collecting pollen Chapter 8 - Autumn and winter management - Autumn - The winter shutdown - Winter Chapter 9 Extracting - Using a sieve to harvest honey - Use of an extractor to harvest honey - Choosing an extractor - Type of extractor to buy - Comb honey - Reuse of wax foundation - Colour of wax Chapter 10 Preparing honey for sale and for competitions - Preparing honey for sale - Preparing honey for competitions Chapter 11 Rearing queens - Introduction - The three reasons for a colony to produce a new queen - Hive splitting - Queen candy Chapter 12 Sustainable beekeeping - Natural beekeeping hives Chapter 13 The bee-friendly garden - Bee-friendly flowering plants - Further considerations of the bee-friendly garden - A garden is a work in progress Chapter 14 Native bees - Social bees - Solitary bees Chapter 15 Diseases of the honey bee - Diseases of brood - Good management practices to minimise disease in the colony - American Foul Brood (AFB) - European Foul Brood (EFB) - Sacbrood virus (SBV) - Chalkbrood - Adult bee diseases - Nosema - Deformed wing virus (DWV) Chapter 16 Parasites of the honey bee - Varroa - Tropilaelaps mites - the Asian mite Chapter 17 Pests of the honey bee - Wax Moth - Small Hive Beetle (SHB) - Braula fly Chapter 18 Other problems of the honey bee - Pesticide and fungicide poisoning - Chilled brood - Overheating of the hive - Damp hives - Cane toads - Ants - Mice - Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) Chapter 19 Other types of bees and wasps - The Asian honey bee (Apis cerana) - Bumblebees - Wasps - Asian hornets - Other races of Apis mellifera - Other species of Asian bees Appendix: Size of frames and boxes Glossary Acknowledgements and photographic credits Bibliography Index

About the Author

Robert Owen was introduced to the world of beekeeping in 2002 and hasn't looked back. At first beekeeping was a hobby but it has now evolved into a family business, Bob's Beekeeping Supplies, that offers beekeeping equipment and education. This book is the culmination of his own years of expertise and experience and also draws on the individual tales he has heard of the challenges and successes of managing honey bees in various environments.

Reviews

"a standout reference for the new beekeeper...Even experienced beekeepers will learn a thing or two...contain(s) a wealth of information and is better value than many bee books currently on the market" * The Amateur Beekeeper *