Awards

• Runner-up for New Mexico Book Awards, Finalist (Crafts/Hobby/How-To).

Overview

Despite the recent challenges from pests such as varroa and tracheal mites and Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), in backyards and on rooftops all over the world, bees are being raised successfully, even without antibiotics, miticides, or other chemical inputs. More and more organically minded beekeepers are now using top-bar hives, in which the shape of the interior resembles a hollow log. Long-lasting and completely biodegradable, a top-bar hive made of untreated wood allows bees to build comb naturally rather than simply filling prefabricated foundation frames in a typical box hive with added supers. Top-bar hives yield slightly less honey but produce more beeswax than a typical Langstroth box hive. Regular hive inspection and the removal of old combs helps to keep bees healthier and naturally disease-free. Top-Bar Beekeeping provides complete information on hive management and other aspects of using these innovative hives. It will appeal to home beekeepers and also to home orchardists, gardeners, and permaculture practitioners who look to bees for pollination as well as honey or beeswax.

Full Product Details

9781603584616

Table of Contents

Reviews

Reading Top-Bar Beekeeping reminds me of the classes I took with Les Crowder several years ago. He's a man who truly knows whereof he speaks, who has the gift of communicating with his small friends, the bees, and sharing his understanding with us. . . . This is the one book on beekeeping that I will recommend to my permaculture students. --Scott Pittman, Director, Permaculture Institute USA<br><br>

ForeWord Reviews - Farmers who seek a guide to hive maintenance told through a thoughtful personal narrative will benefit from the discussion of this topbar style of beekeeping. The first-person style of the book allows a window into the practices of the topbar beekeeper while conveying a wealth of knowledge and a well-researched comparison of hive practices. The book is appropriate for beginning beekeepers as well as those experienced but looking for information on natural and organic beekeeping practices. The book's ten sections discuss optimal practices of an organic beekeeper juxtaposed with discussion of industry standard practices and their drawbacks. Each section contains stories of the authors' successes and failures as well as diagrams and pictures to explain everything from hive design to plant species for optimal pollination. Whether the reader is looking to start their own hive or simply increase their knowledge of honeybees, the book provides interesting and detailed discussions of all aspects of raising them. Crowder and Harrell offer not only advice on how to get started, but an in-depth discussion of all aspects of keeping a hive, from bee capture, breeding, and selection to honey processing. They have crafted a book that is both informative and engaging, filled with introspective advice and practical knowledge.

Author Information

The Authors: Les Crowder has devoted his entire adult life to the study and care of honeybees. He designed his own top-bar hives and set about discovering how to treat disease and genetic weaknesses through plant medicine and selective breeding. He has served as New Mexico's honeybee inspector and president of the New Mexico Beekeepers Association. Heather Harrell has been an organic farmer, and through her work with honeybees she has moved her focus to the study of multi-use permaculture plantings, which support a diverse network of interrelationships in the natural world.

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