Beekeeping: A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up and Maintaining a Hive

I purchased this little book from a local book store and plan to buy another from Amazon for a beekeeping beginner friend. I have read nearly 35 books (had to set up a list to keep track) on the subject of beekeeping and all its various situations. I found Mackenzie's Beekeeping one of the simplest and decently detailed books although it does not have flashy color photos that most other books have. The key here is simple- direct to the point- no page filling rhetoric and unnecessary page filling photos. And, the cost is under $13. The information is fairly accurate and will get any beginner off to a good start. The nuc installation and open hive inspection details are first rate. If you have never opened a hive, this book and its listings will tell you what you should be looking for and how to go about it with minimal stinging danger. I believe the book was written in Great Britain and mentions their National hive in lieu of our more common Langstroth. It focuses on 10 frame hives but smaller 8 frame Langstroth hives are not all that difficult to convert the info. One thing to keep in mind is that the timing of the monthly inspections covered in the book need to beadjusted to fit your local climate. I am a backyard beekeeper with 2 honey bee colonies.

good book

Haven't read the book. Would not buy a book on beekeeping with a picture of some kind of weird photoshopped fly on the cover. Should have been a honeybee

Don't judge a book by its cover; as with many books, the cover was not designed by the author. Open this book and read and you will find accurate and informative information about bees and beekeeping. I checked out several books about bees to help with this new hobby. The book was by far my favorite. Her advice helped me from selecting and purchasing my bees and equipment through our first year (with a monthly calendar) and harvesting the honey. Alice is very knowledgeable and her book is easy to read and follow. We like this book so much that we decided to purchase a copy for our own library.