i would recommend "beekeeping for dummies" don't let the name fool you, it is well written and easy to follow,chock full of info.
I agree with the beekeeping for dummies, although I do not have the newer version just released. Once you have one book, you'll quickly follow-up with a second. Keep your eye open at flea markets, on-line, etc., and soon you'll have a few to choose from on those cold nights. And if you get them cheap, that's the best bee book out there. Each book has a different perspective. All miss something, so I like each for different reasons.
My choice of books are these older books I think they are easy to understand for a new Beekeeper. These first two are no longer published, but well worth the search. Practical Beekeeping Enoch Tompkin & Roger M. Griffith Garden Way Pub. Beekeeping in the Midwest Circular 1125,ILL.Coop.Ext.Ser. College of Agr. revised by Elbert R. Jaycox University of Illinois Beekeeping A Practical Guide Richard E. Bonney Storey Pub. [ this may still be in print ] No TV, No Inter-net, Just a good book, a cold beer, and a good hound curled at your feet, anybody else remember those days ? PCM
I would recommend xyz abc of beekeeing as a good reference book honey plants of north america is another good read a lot of newbees dont understand that only certain flowers and plants produce nectar
I started into beekeeping after a 25 year break ( life is what happens while you are making other plans) with the idea that doing it Organic for lack of a better term. We ( my bride and I ) are trying to live and eat better and thet means putting more effort to make more of our own food stuff. It occurred to me a while back that a good way to keep bees and grow gardens without pesticides and poisons wold be to get some 100 year + old books and try to do it the old way. I boughe a 1900 ish copy of ABC's of beekeeping and not only is it a great find but what a great scource of humor. They have about 10 pages explaining that beekeeping can actualy be done by women if they have enough help, way funny, I have seen my readhead ( 135 lbs or so ) with a 150lb rottweiler over her sholder because the two of them were having a contest to see who was going to be the boss, I think she can move a super or two if she wanted. Anyhow some of the old old books have I think a lot of god info, some has perhaps been left out of the newer ones.
