Beekeeping For Dummies, UK Edition

Your complete guide to beekeeping in virtually any setting – city, town or country – Beekeeping For Dummies, UK Edition gives you step-by-step instructions on all practical aspects of starting and maintaining a beehive and reaping the many rewards.

• To bee or not to bee – discover the many benefits of beekeeping, while learning about bee anatomy, language, habits, complex social organisation, and a typical day in the life of a bee

• The adventure begins – everything you need to know about starting a hive, including locating the hive, buying equipment, choosing and sourcing the right kind of honey bees, and more

• Up close and personal – find out how to open your beehive and get to know your bees and their world from the inside, as well as the different tasks involved with keeping the hive buzzing along

• A healthy bee is a happy bee – anticipate, diagnose and solve problems that can beset a hive, including common illnesses and pesky pests such as mites and insects

• Sweet rewards – get the lowdown on the equipment you need to reap your golden harvest along with step-by-step directions to harvesting and bottling your honey

• Fun stuff – learn to brew mead, bake the best honey cake, plant flowers for your bees, make beeswax candles, and make two hives from one

Open the book and find:

• Explanations of bee anatomy and physiology

• Tips on safely extracting honey

• The benefits of beekeeping

• The best ways of buying and hiving your bees

• Beekeeping tasks throughout the year

• Bee diseases and threats

• How to keep your neighbours happy

• Lists of regional associations and equipment suppliers

Learn to:

• Understand the amazing behaviour of your honey bees

• Obtain and hive your first colony

• Deal with pests and diseases that may harm your bees

• Harvest your own honey