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Bargain Book - Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees

Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees: Honey Production, Pollination, Bee Health ($1.99 Kindle), by Richard E. Bonney [Storey Publishing], is on sale today (only) as part of Amazon's 100 Crafty Books Daily Deal for Kindle Books. There are lots of other good books in the sale, too, including some on gardening, homsteading, raising goats, making soap, herbal use and more.

I already have this book in paper, but grabbed the Kindle edition to read wherever I happen to be. Mr. Bonney was on that list of authors for beekeeping whose books I'd buy whenever I see a good sale price; I'm glad to see that Dr. Sanford has worked to make this available in digital form.

Book Description
Everyone is buzzing about bees! Urban beekeeping is on the rise as swarms of people do their part to help nurture local food systems, make gardens more productive, connect with nature, and rescue honey bee populations from colony collapse disorder. Honey bee hives now grace the White House Lawn, the roof of Chicago City Hall, the National Arboretum, and the top of the Fairmont Hotel. Even Hagen-Daazs has gotten into the act with its well-funded campaign, Help the Honey Bees.

Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees, the newest addition to the best-selling series, will be the single resource sought by beekeepers in all settings. Malcolm T. Sanford presents a thorough overview of these industrious and critically important insects. With this book as their guide, beekeepers will understand how to plan a hive, acquire bees, install a colony, keep bees healthy, maintain a healthy hive, understand and prevent new diseases, and harvest honey crops.

The book also provides an overview of the honey bee nest and colony life, insights into honey bee anatomy and behavior, an exploration of apiary equipment and tools, season-by-season beekeeper responsibilities, instructions for harvesting honey, and detailed, up-to-date information about diseases and other potential risks to bees.
This comprehensive reference will appeal to both the experienced beekeeper who seeks help with specific issues and the novice eager to get started.

About the Author
Dr. Malcolm T. Sanford is Professor Emeritus, University of Florida. See his resume at apisenterprises.com/vita.htm. Richard E. Bonney is deceased.

Bargain Book - The Beekeeper's Lament

The Beekeeper's Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honey Bees Help Feed America ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), by Hannah Nordhaus [HarperCollins], is one I'd recommend to anyone that eats and is concerned both about the cost of food (everything from squash to almonds) and getting food locally. I know that our bees declined at the same time and for seemingly no reason (and that continues - we don't have bees at all after the winter, some years).

Book Description
Award-winning journalist Hannah Nordhaus tells the remarkable story of John Miller, one of America’s foremost migratory beekeepers, and the myriad and mysterious epidemics threatening American honeybee populations. In luminous, razor-sharp prose, Nordhaus explores the vital role that honeybees play in American agribusiness, the maintenance of our food chain, and the very future of the nation. With an intimate focus and incisive reporting, in a book perfect for fans of Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation, Michael Pollan’s The Botany of Desire,and John McPhee’s Oranges, Nordhaus’s stunning exposé illuminates one the most critical issues facing the world today,offering insight, information, and, ultimately, hope.