The Beekeeper's Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses (The Backyard Naturalist Series)

This book looks like it’s jam packed with info! Such beautiful illustrations and I cannot wait to read it! I’m glad I chose this book over the others I saw.

My husband and I were lucky enough to capture and hive a swarm this spring, launching us unexpectedly into beekeeping. My sister has kept bees, and we'd always thought of doing it, but to "bee" (sorry, I have a problem with bee puns) thrust into it so suddenly meant we had a lot to learn, and very fast. We immediately started learning all we could about beekeeping and how to keep our bees happy and healthy. We rented all the books we could find on bees (yes, even children's books) from our library. When we finally rented The Beekeeper's Bible, however, we knew we had found something special. We knew we couldn't just read this one, and return it to the library. Oh no, this one had to become a part of our own library. We bought it right away. I'll start with the superficial: this book is beautiful. The cover is old fashioned, delightful, and charming artwork. This is no lightweight, either. When they call this book a "bible", it's because it literally is bible-sized. Heavy, thick, complete. It would do some serious damage if you threw this book at someone! Inside the covers, it's just as impressive. The pages are glossy, color printed with photos and images on nearly every page. Those who like their picture books will love this one, but there is plenty of literature here to give you quite the education. That's where I'll go next, the information. This book is rich and complete on all things bees, truly a wealth of information. From the history of beekeeping, to the breeds, styles of hives, and a million other things to learn to the honey recipes, crafts, and then some. This thick book is chock full of information. Those who are actually apiarists (beekeepers) will have the necessary information at their fingertips, but this book would also be a fascinating read for those who've never kept bees and never will. (Although don't be surprised if, after flipping through some of it's pages, if you suddenly want to keep bees, too!) It's true, honeybees are absolutely fascinating creatures, there is a great deal to be learned here. If you keep bees, or plan to, I tell you: you MUST own this book. If you are simply interested in learning more: definitely read this book. If you're looking for a gift for someone who enjoys homesteading, farming, keeping chickens, etc: this will make the perfect gift. This is one book that can't just be returned to the library, it had to be added to our collection.

The Beekeeper's Bible is a wonderful book packed with information about beekeeping history, how to keep bees, and a whole section of honey recipes in the back. The cover does not make the book justice. The book contains 411 pages and lots of beautiful color photos and valuable information for all beekeepers, new and experienced. I highly recommend this book for anybody interested in honey bees or products of the beehive.

I didn't really know much about beekeeping and bees...until I read through this book! This book really offers great information for aspiring beekeepers. I'm sure it would be just as valuable for experienced beekeepers as well. My boyfriend and I plan on starting a local farm and Co-op in the future with a variety of organically and sustainably produced food and goods. This book really helped me learn a lot about what it is like to have bees and helped me become better informed on the lives of bees. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in bees, especially in beekeeping. This book has history of bees, about bees, about beekeeping, and recipes. It's really an all-in-one book. Even though I have already read through the whole book, I will definitely be using it in the future to look things up again and reference it.

A lot of history of beekeeping, information about hives and some recipes for using honey.

Incredible book! It seems to have everything that I’m looking for to better understand bees, and beekeeping plus the history and mythology behind them. I would definitely recommend it.

This book is of high quality. The cover has nice crisp corners and is embossed. The paper is slightly heavier than a text book. They spared no expense in making this a book you can proudly display and use for years to come. It's just so beautiful! The history section was very interesting. The practical application section is useful for getting ideas and for feeling like you're on the right track. It's nice to get a lot of different perspectives. Among other things, it goes into great detail on what plants produce what kind of honey, and when these plants bloom. On occasion, however, you would have to look somewhere else to get a more in-depth explanation on how to do something. Example: they mention what creamed honey is, but not a practical guide on how to make it. I'm not sure what I was expecting from the recipe section, but the recipe section was underwhelming. Maybe I will warm up to it once the summer is in full swing and we have some fresh honey to use. In all, I really like this book. It's an excellent resource. It lost a star because I feel it could have gone into more detail in many instances.

I wasn't sure if this was a new or refurbished book based on other reviews, but the book I received is in pristine brand new condition! It's beautifully designed, well made on thick glossy stock paper, and vibrantly printed. The content is very informative and intriguing for a beekeeping wannabe like myself! There's a ton of visual aids and illustrations so it doesn't feel too textbook-y. And the price here on Amazon is better than anywhere else online I found as I price compared (at the time of purchase, I got this for $26 USD). Highly recommend!

Due to a mix-up I got this book, as well as the Collins version of the same book, around the same time! As with the Collins book this version provides a great informative read, with lots of great information on the history of bees, the management and keeping of them, and the things you can/make with the products of the hives. It's only drawback - and why it's not 5 star - Americanisation!! The American spelling for words like colour (color) personally drives me nuts, and every time I come across one it stands out like a sore thumb! Also, if you are going to do any of the recipes you'll need to have a 'cup/measures' conversion table with you, because all the recipes use american measures (and on that score I think the Collins version also wins, since it gives various different conversions in the recipes, including the american ones!)

Love this book! Super informative and beautifully designed

Very well written, interesting and thorough.

That was a gift for a good good friend of mine and she loved it to bits. She doesn't speak fluent English but she loves it nevertheless. I was tempted to keep it for myself

I am very glad I have ordered this book and I can only recommend it to anyone. It is very well written, good for beginners as well as experienced beekeepers. So many text and pictures and there is huge amount of data inside. I am so happy that I have added it to my collection.