Best Beekeeping Books For Beginners: Review 2023 (Top 05 Choice)

The best beekeeping books for beginners are must-haves on your bookshelf if you are an apiarist. They provide useful information for new and skilled beekeepers.

I have raised honey bees for a long time. Thus acquiring lots of information on this topic through books for beekeepers is apparent. I decided to write this article to share with you the best beekeeping books.

My set of books will give you a good knowledge base to profit from your passion. Along with the recommended books, you can also find a useful buying guide in my post.

Let’s see what are the best beekeeping books!

Buying Guide

Where To Buy Beekeeping Books For Beginners?

Some books are not available at your local bookstore. Thus buying books online is a safe and reasonable choice.

There are large online retailers that stock millions of titles. It offers a variety of hard-copy books and kindle versions. In this article, I will guide you on how to buy books on online marketplaces. 

You need to enter the title you are looking for in the search box first. The results will populate with different offers from plenty of sellers. Proposals that get a lot of reviews often make safe choices.

By clicking on a particular result and you’ll see a description of the author, publisher, and a preview of the book. It is necessary to make an informed comparison by visiting the website of the author or the publisher.

These websites often don’t have a purchase feature. Thus, if the data matches, you may return to the retail site to continue shopping. 

You need to study the descriptions and feedback of those who have purchased. By reading reviews, you can also know in advance what the book that you are looking for talks about.

How To Distinguish Real Books From Fake Ones?

You can find books sold by the owner of online marketplaces, or by a third party coming here to open a store. The problem is that these shopping sites don’t check the quality of the books they sell.

It would be best if you learned how to differentiate real books from fake ones. Right now, I will talk about some useful tips that you can apply.

As I mentioned above, feedback from customers plays an important role. They help you consider the quality of an online product. You should take the time to read all the reviews before clicking the checkout button.

In case you have paid and the delivery guy is now standing in front of your house. It is time for you need to do some small checks.

Fake books using ordinary printed paper. But, real books use specialized paper only available to publishers.

The real book offers a firm grip feeling and sharp colors. Its folds are of the right size and full of content. 

Meanwhile, the pirated book feels cheap to hold with faded colors. They have the wrong-size hand-fold, and there is no content written there.

The glue on the spine of the fake book is clear white, not ivory like the glue of the real book. Besides, the fake one did not go through the stitching process, so the book will be damaged soon.

Real books will provide copyright information on the first or last page. Meanwhile, counterfeit books do not have anti-counterfeiting stamps with blurred barcodes.

Top 5 Best Beekeeping Books For Beginners 

There are thousands of books for beekeepers on the market. But it’s hard to find the right book from the beginning. My list saves you time searching while helping you get useful knowledge.

1. The Beekeeper’s Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes

The Beekeeper’s Bible is an encyclopedia that covers a wide range of topics related to bees. It takes you on a walk through history, biology, and cuisine.

This book gives you a comprehensive background of beekeeping from the past to the present day. Some historical experiences still prove their success and relevance these days.

You will learn about the biological behavior of bees. These details help you understand them better to choose the right feeding methods.

Richard Jones even offers 100 recipes and instructs you on how to use bee products. He shows you the safe way to harvest your honey as well.

All in all, this recommendation is a great gardening book. It comes with detailed illustrations that are easy to understand and follow.

However, it is not a thorough book on how to keep bees. Instead, it focuses on bringing you general knowledge about bees and honey.

Suppose you are looking for a book written in more detail about the process of beekeeping. If that’s the case, this book may provide more information than you need.

Pros Cons
  • History of beekeeping.
  • 100 recipes related to bee products.
  • Vivid and detailed illustrations.
  • Honey recipes.
  • Safe harvesting tips.
  • No in-depth analysis of beekeeping.

2. Beekeeping For Beginners By Amber Bradshaw

Amber Bradshaw is a professional beekeeper, a lecturer, and a public speaker. He wrote Beekeeping for Beginners, which became an indispensable handbook for all apiarists.

This book conveys detailed instructions for the beekeeping process. It shows you how to understand various jargon related to bees and their living habits, which in turn leads you to the proper way to raise them.

Amber Bradshaw tells you common mistakes in beekeeping, based on his longtime experience. Learning from the mistakes of others can reduce the risk of repeating them.

The author is a master in communication. His simple and humorous tone will inspire you to get started with beekeeping.

Each chapter is filled with tutorials that will take you through the entire process. Amber guides the readers with patience and honesty, bringing you information you can’t find elsewhere. 

The book does not take up much of your reading time. But it can provide all the information you need.

But, I find some of the information confusing for newbies. This book would be more valuable if the author added more detailed drawings.

Pros:

  • Detailed instructions.
  • Modern and scientific methods.
  • Expression simple and to the point.
  • A moderate amount of information.
  • Humorous way to deliver valuable knowledge.

Con:

  • Not enough detailed illustrations.

3. The Backyard Beekeeper By Kim Flottum

The Backyard Beekeeper is one of the best books on natural beekeeping. This book teaches urbanites how to take some natural honey from their backyards.

You will find the most basic information for beginners. It teaches you the difference between an urban and a rural bee.

Kim Flottum shows you the ways to keep bees in the city. His book also talks about bee diseases and proper treatments.

He is a leading advocate of safe beekeeping. The guidelines focus on natural growth and minimizing the use of pesticides.

You will get safe and healthy honey from your backyard. If you are confused about the first harvest, the author even shows you a complete way to take the honey out. 

The book is attractive and delightful in design. You’ll find large images with specific captions on almost every page, conveying a lot of useful information. But it contains a lot of bee jargon that would confuse a new beekeeper.

Pros:

  • Guide for urban beekeeping.
  • Safe and organic methods.
  • Beautiful illustration.
  • Easy-to-understand annotations.

Con:

  • Contain terminology that confuses readers.

4. The Beekeeper’s Handbook – 4th Edition By Diana Sammataro

Released in 1973, The Beekeeper’s Handbook is the ultimate guide for beekeeping. It has taught millions of people how to make this fun and profitable pastime.

This handbook provides step-by-step instructions with more than 100 illustrations. It helps you set up your colonies and how protect healthy bees.

Diana Sammataro and her colleagues outlined a few options for each activity of beekeeping. They also note the advantages and disadvantages of each method. So the keepers can make the best choice for their hive.

I am a big fan of all the in-depth instructions. It also delves into the bees’ biological characteristics and shows you the way how to take care of them.

This 4th edition has expanded to include colony collapse disorder (CCD) and pest control. Learning about CCD and insect control is essential for beginners as well as experts since most beekeepers are prone to those phenomena recently.

Entomologists interpret in common and understandable English. There’s not too much bee jargon in this book.

The book has a readable layout for easy understanding. Clear illustrations with specific color schemes will delight you.

But, this book only deals with the Langstroth method. Meanwhile, the title of the book has led me to think that I can find various styles of beekeeping.

If you’re into Langstroth style, this book is a direct match to your preference. Meanwhile, if you are seeking more beyond Langstroth, the misleading title may let you down.

Pros:

  • Step-by-step instructions.
  • Pros and cons of each method.
  • Common English.
  • Easy-to-understand color illustrations.
  • Easy-to-read presentation.

Con:

  • Misleading book title.

5. Beginning Beekeeping By Tanya Phillips

Beginning Beekeeping is the perfect companion for those who have never been beekeepers. It overcomes the disadvantage of book number 4, providing you with various types of beekeeping besides Langstroth.

The detailed descriptions of Warren and Top-bar hives give you a wealth of knowledge to freely choose the type of colony to your liking. This book promises to be an inspirational handbook for beginners to intermediate beekeepers.

It shows you simple instructions that will tell you everything you need to start your colony. The whole process results in an abundant and rich honey harvest.

Tanya Phillips divides the book into four main sections, starting with the basics of bees. The author shows you how to keep bees healthy and happy, delivering more high-quality honey.

The next section will inform you of tips for attracting and keeping bees in your colony. You will also learn about the diseases of bees and their cures.

The last two parts are about harvesting and troubleshooting. Apart from the instructions for processing and preserving honey, you will also find several ways to make honey-based products from your harvest.

Tanya Phillips’ book is a combination of valuable content and aesthetics. The layout is reader-friendly with accessible words, coming with a lot of beautiful and realistic pictures.

But you may feel a little disappointed that you can’t find instructions on how to make sugar syrup in this book. It is one of the basic recipes that beekeepers can use.

The author’s failure to mention this might be for her reasons. But, this omission may not satisfy some readers.

Pros:

  • Various types of beekeeping.
  • Reader-friendly layout.
  • Easy-to-understand language.
  • Sharp and realistic images.

Con:

  • No sugar syrup recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are The Benefits Of Beekeeping?

Beekeeping can be a career, but it can also be a hobby. This activity brings joy to you and benefits you more than you can imagine.

This hobby does not need a costly investment. Instead, it gives you profitable results later on.

If you succeed, not only do you have enough honey to be self-sufficient but also create a new source of income.

Attracting bees to your backyard contributes to your garden enrichment. Bees assist in the natural pollination of flowers, vegetables, and fruit.

Beekeeping has various benefits that I cannot cover in this article. You will get more information after reading the books I recommend.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Beekeeping?

Bee Stings: If you or your family members are allergic to bee stings, you should not keep bees. If you are not allergic, bee stings may still be painful. But frequent stings enable you to develop an immunity to the poison.

Muscle Work: The frames used to produce honey weigh between 30 and 70 pounds. You will lift this out of the hive to remove the honey. This heavy lifting can sometimes lead to back or knee injuries.

Indiscriminate Defecation: They can leave their feces in the air. You should make sure the beekeeping area is away from residential areas.

Failed Crop In The First Year: Don’t expect any harvest in the first year. Bees need to eat their honey to build their home. So you should leave honey to help them survive the winter.

What Do You Need To Consider Before You Start Beekeeping?

Government Permission: You need to find out if your local government allows beekeeping. Some localities need you to apply for a license, while others do not draft any restrictions.

Allergy Risk: You need to do some specialist testing for yourself and your family members. Those tests determine the possibility of an allergy to the components of the bee.

Courteous Neighbors: It’s great if you think about how the neighbors feel. You need to talk with neighbors about your plans to avoid unwanted troubles.

Final Words

You have gotten the top 5 best beekeeping books for beginners. Each option provides a different level of information.

My first choice is The Beekeeper’s Bible, as it offers a tremendous trove of beekeeping history. Meanwhile, Beekeeping for Beginners is a concise handbook for those who need something easy to read.

The best book to learn about beekeeping collected by me deserves a companion for all new breeders. But with profound knowledge, they won’t lose their value in front of skilled keepers.

My suggestions will get you off to a good start. Even if you are hesitating with your passion, my best books about beekeeping will promote you to get off the ground.