Natural beekeeping : organic approaches to modern apiculture

By: Ross Conrad

Published by Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013-02-15

<b>Whether you are a novice looking to get started with bees, an experienced apiculturist looking for ideas to develop an integrated pest-management approach, or someone who wants to sell honey at a premium price, this is the book you’ve been waiting for.</b><br><br>Now revised and updated with new resources and including full-color photos throughout, <i>Natural Beekeeping </i>offers all the latest information in a book that has already proven invaluable for organic beekeepers. The new edition offers the same holistic, sensible alternative to conventional chemical practices with a program of natural hive management, but offers new sections on a wide range of subjects, including:<br><br><br><br><ul><li><b>The basics of bee biology and anatomy</b></li><li><b>Urban beekeeping</b></li><li><b>Identifying and working with queens</b></li><li><b>Parasitic mite control</b></li><li><b>Hive diseases</b></li></ul><br>Also, a completely new chapter on marketing provides valuable advice for anyone who intends to sell a wide range of hive products.<br><b><br>Other chapters include:<br></b><br><ul><li><b>Hive Management</b></li><li><b>Genetics and Breeding</b></li><li><b>The Honey Harvest</b></li><li><b>The Future of Organic Beekeeping</b></li></ul><br>Ross Conrad brings together the best “do no harm” strategies for keeping honeybees healthy and productive with nontoxic methods of controlling mites; eliminating American foulbrood disease without the use of antibiotics; selective breeding for naturally resistant bees; and many other detailed management techniques, which are covered in a thoughtful, matter-of-fact way.