Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture Paperback – February 15, 2013

This book had a lot of good information. But it's not an all-information source. Don't make it your only book. The book fails to describe in much detail the equipment or tools you will need. The author rambles on and on about the ethics of organic farming and bee-keeping and sarcastically in a round about way discusses why you should make the choices he has made, but that it's ultimately your choice, but, ya know, make the organic choice.I think most of us wouldn't be reading the book if we hadn't drawn many of those conclusions ourselves. Why not to use miticides, not to use HFCS, why to be gentle and slow with the bees and on and on. These are all very good topics and deserve a mention. They take up much more of the book than is needed and in the process the details you really need are lost. I was looking for MORE information on what I could feed (aside from the commercially available products) and how I could control pests organically. I distinctly remember very little information on screened bottom boards (again, lacking the details on equipment) and that being something I was desperate for information for.Aside from those set backs, it's a good book. You will take away some important information and that makes it worth reading. If you're in the fence about organic bee-keeping then read this book and others like it!

I have read through this book and I’m now reading through it again. As a newb to beekeeping it has given me the confidence I need heading into my first year. It will be my constant companion for the rest of my life. I want to do this the right way, no hard chemicals, only organic approved treatments. Ross makes you feel like you can keep bees organically as well! It will still be a trial and error endeavor, but as this Author says, if you give it the attention it’s due when bees do the unthinkable, you’ll learn and be a better beekeeper for it. Enjoy!!

The bee population is on life support in the U.S. We are in danger of loosing as much as one third the food we depend on because of lack of pollinators. The large beekeepers spread disease when the hives are transported all over the country. Small, well trained beekeepers are needed. This book address many of the problems, but I do not believe there is any good solution to the many problems facing bees. Research needs to be done. Natural solutions need to be found before it is too late. We all need to work together to keep the population of bees alive until solutions are found. This is a good book and a good place to start the education needed to keep and protect bees.

Very informative and interesting

The author undoubtedly knows his stuff about bees. He has tons of experience and is a good writer. I enjoyed the way he focuses on sustainability in beekeeping and is open to new ideas. I like the way he offers multiple points of view on how best to handle each kind of problem you may encounter, from insect pests, to neighbors who hate bees, etc.

I bought this book for reference after checking out a whole bunch of bee books at the library. I felt this one had the most useful information for me. I don't want to use a lot of chemicals, so the natural approach to beekeeping was the best for me. It also has an interesting recipe for 'bee tea,' which is a sugar water feed for the bees when they can't get to nectar and pollen. If I could only have one bee book, this would be it. It has methods of pest control, diseases and infestations, what a healthy hive should look like, potential problems, lots of pictures of the bees in the hive, queen ideas, and much much more

I've read a stack of beekeeping books from Amazon and from my library. This is, hands down, the best book of the bunch. Ross Conrad covers beekeeping in an ethical way and teaches you not just how to keep bees, but how to partner with them and manage hives with integrity. His chapters on requeening and philosophies of requeening and various ways of managing hives were particularly useful, as was his discussion at the end of the book on GMOs. Thank you, Ross, for this amazing title.

this is the most detailed book to learn chemical free bee keeping. it is a little hard to read i think the author is a little smarter than most people.he also spends to much time preaching organic. i got a note book to take notes as i read i got a lot of good information that i have not found any where else. i wanted to get away from chemical mite treatments, i learned a lot about using essential oils and splitting hives at the right time. this is the best bee book ever