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10 Best Books to Learn or Start a Beekeeping Business

Are you wondering what type of book is best to learn beekeeping? If YES, here are 10 best books on starting a beekeeping business. It doesn’t matter whether you live in an urban, suburban, or rural area, you can easily start and sustain a hive from just about anywhere.

Note that this can include growing a lawn for bees and building them a hotel in your backyard. However, one of the best ways to move it to the next level is to start a beekeeping business. These dreams are achievable and you can make them a reality with the help of some best-selling beekeeping books.

For experts and hobbyists alike, the market has been overflowing for some time with beekeeping books that can guide you through the process of beekeeping. These books include expert books that provide technical apicultural advice down to even more general agricultural books on any number of topics unrelated to the world of bees.

The honeybee is such a fascinating creature – and their colonies are still renowned even in this modern world of science as a marvel of natural complexity. It won’t take a novice beekeeper much time to realize just how many topics are contained under the general heading of “beekeeping”.

From general books for beginners to well defined topics such as organic/top bar beekeeping and DIY beekeeping equipment, there is an assorted array of published information on this most fascinating of hobbies (or, indeed, professions). Since many people are beginning to take up apiculture casually, the market for books on the subject has also grown extensively.

There are certain items of universal advice that may not have changed since prehistoric man inaugurated apiculture some 9000 years ago, however you have to realize that beekeeping moves with the times, whether it is innovation in hive technology or the development and advancement of new diseases and other natural challenges.

The authors of these books mentioned below really understand the intricacies of beekeeping since they have done it. You can learn about the history of this critical hobby and different types of bees. You can also discover the foundation and the basics for getting started irrespective of the kind of hive you want to have. Note that you can get all these questions answered and also build a good beekeeping business by leveraging the following books.

What is the Best Book to Learn and Start a Beekeeping Business?

  1. Keeping Bees with a Smile: Principles and Practice of Natural Beekeeping

Have it in mind that the author of this book, Fedor Lazutin, is one of the most renowned natural beekeepers in Europe. He is credited with creating what he calls a bee-friendly approach to beekeeping, which leverages a horizontal hive and minimal colony manipulation.

By reading the book, you will understand the simple steps to create a bee colony that mimics what bees would experience in nature. The author also extensively stated the importance of gardening for bees and how to produce the most natural honey possible. In addition, it is low-maintenance, too. For those seeking more information on natural or horizontal hives, it is a great resource.

  1. Top Bar Beekeeping

Top bar beekeeping is quite popular for its vacillating fortunes and popularity in the beekeeping world. However, there is a constant debate between those who support its organic and nature-mimicking elements and those who argue about the lower yields that it produces.

Notably, with the most disputable issues in modern apiculture being the use of artificial means to disease, pesticides, and artificial feeding, the top bar hive is more or less enjoying renewed popularity at the present moment. Also note that this style of beekeeping benefits from the specter of the colony collapse disorder, as it is seen as a viable means of preventing that catastrophe.

  1. Beekeeping for Beginners: How To Raise Your First Bee Colonies

Written by Amber Bradshaw who now lives off the grid and writes about it, this book is one to reckon with. Amber Bradshaw actually started beekeeping while living in an urban environment and this entails that her books are welcoming to newbies as she walks you through everything you have to understand to get started. Note that she addresses topics like picking the right hive, helping your bees survive the winter, and collecting honey. If it is your first year of keeping bees, note that this book will indeed help get you off on the right foot.

  1. Queen Spotting

Running the very popular beekeeping blog Girl Next Door Honey, Kearney is renowned for documenting her swarm catching activities and advocating for more natural and organic beekeeping practices. This book, Queen Spotting: Meet the Remarkable Queen Bee, is unique especially since it is a practical guide to queen management (one of the most essential beekeeping duties) as well as an encompassing book of interest to anyone who is interested in the lives of queen bees.

Have it in mind that this book leverages a light tone throughout and this is what makes it so accessible. Note that it also includes various fold-out puzzles; challenging the reader to find the queen bee hidden amid her many subjects. Indeed, these puzzles are fun and will make the book worthwhile to the general reader, but they are also extensive good practice for establishing the most important of beekeeping skills – finding the queen bee.

  1. The Beekeeper’s Journal: All Illustrated Register for Your Beekeeping Adventures

Note that the writer, Kim Flottum, spent a good number of years researching bees and even has his own podcast called Beekeeping Today. The journal has given rise to and also provides a space for you to write down records of your hive. In addition, it features numerous recipes scattered throughout and plenty of blank pages for writing or sketching. It is ideal for keeping track of your progress, and would also make a wonderful gift for the beekeeper in your life.

  1. The Beekeeper’s Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses

Do you prefer a wonderful book that touches every aspect of bees, from the insects themselves to the sweet treats you can make with their honey? Then The Beekeeper’s Bible is the best book to start with. Note that this comprehensive guide is a history book, handbook, and cookbook all put together into one beautiful almanac with lovely illustrations—and it would make a perfect gift for your any beekeeper.

Coupled with extensive information about the practice of beekeeping and colony care, The Beekeeper’s Bible explores topics like harvesting honey and beeswax, as well as all the various things you can do with these products. Also know there are instructions for making candles and beauty products (among other things), and close to 100 honey-based recipes for you to try out.

  1. The Practical Beekeeper: Beekeeping Naturally

If you are searching for alternative beekeeping methods or just need extensive knowledge on the numerous methods out there, consider The Practical Beekeeper: Beekeeping Naturally. Have it in mind that it introduces a “natural and practical system” to cultivating bees with minimal intervention on your part.

Notably, The Practical Beekeeper talks through a minimalistic approach to beekeeping. By leveraging this method, you try to keep things as natural as possible, avoiding medications and treatments that beekeepers often turn to without considering implications.

  1. Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture

Don’t forget that pest and hive diseases are two very real challenges for beekeepers, but this book addresses them both with a natural, organic approach. Have it in mind that natural Beekeeping is useful for both beginners and experienced beekeepers.

It also features a full chapter on what you need to understand if you plan to sell and market your bee products. Note that this book is quite appreciated by natural beekeepers, and it is a solid resource for expanding your own organic practices.

  1. Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping

According to industry experts, this is more of a textbook than a guide, and its wealth of in-depth information on beekeeping makes it a necessary for experienced beekeepers. Note that the HoneyBee Biology and Beekeeping covers a vast range of topics about bee biology and colony management, including hundreds of photos and illustrations.

Notably, the book focuses on the “why,” “how,” and “when” of beekeeping, and while it does address bee basics, it is made up of extensive and thorough discussion on more advanced topics such as bee behavior, entomology, and more.

  1. The Beekeeper’s Problem Solver: 100 Common Problems Explored and Explained

Analytical and well detailed books can be a spectacular resource when you start beekeeping. If you have been having issues (or just want to take precautions because you are sure to come across a few), then you more or less need to get this book.

Note that the Beekeeper’s Problem Solver offers unswerving, extensive answers to help you understand what’s going on; it will tell you how to apply solutions that really work. Note that the author tackles 100 common problems related to beekeeping, so this book is definitely going to help you at least a few (or many) times as you embark on this journey.