Suggested Reading For Beekeepers

As a beekeeper (beginning, intermediate or experienced) it’s important to keep learning and keep an open mind. It’s important for beekeepers to have good thought and reason behind their decision making and regardless of whether that’s a natural beekeeping, treatment free, or responsible use of chemicals within the hive, it’s important to continue learning about the different thought camps and seek a better understanding of your bees in general.

The following books range in expertise level as well as topics, but are all very good, well written books that educate the reader about their methods, studies, and bees in general.

Beginner (start with one or two of these):

• Beginning Beekeeping by Tanya Phillips
• Top Bar Beekeeping by Les Crowder
• Beekeeping for Dummies by Howland Blackiston
• The Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum
• Natural Beekeeping by Ross Conrad
• First Lessons in Beekeeping by Keith Delaplane
• The Beekeepers Handbook by Diana Sammataro

Then keep reading:

• The ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture by A.I. Root
• Honey Bee Biology by Dewey Caron
• The Honeybee Democracy by Thomas Seeley
• Attracting Native Pollinators by Xerces Society
• The Essentials Collection by Lawrence John Connor
  • Bee-sentials
  • Increase Essentials
  • Queen Rearing Essentials
  • Bee Sex Essentials
• The Hive and the Honey Bee by J.W. Graham
• Honey Bee Diseases and Pests by C. Scott DuPree
• Bee Equipment Essentials by Ed Simon
• The Beekeepers Bible by Stewart Tabori
• Following the Wild Bees by Thomas Seeley
• Health and The Honey Bee by Charles Mraz
• Queen Bee: Biology, Rearing, and Breeding by David Woodward
• Two Million Blossoms by Kristen Traynor
• Honey Bee Pests, Predators, and Diseases by Roger Morse & Kim Flottum
• Managing Alternative Pollinators by Mader, Spivak, and Evans
• History of American Beekeeping by Frank Pellett
• Following The Bloom by Douglass Whynott
• Bee Time by Mark L. Winston

Good luck and keep learning!