Customer Reviews

Beekeeping: A Practical Guide

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Beekeeping - a practical guide" is is exactly what it says it is. It presents the facts of beekeeping in a way that fascinate you with the wonders of the hobby and mixes in the pitfalls that would, stated alone, send you away disappointed if you are are a beginner like me. By the time you finish reading the book and have weighed all of the information, the truly interested reader will be looking for another book to expand on all of the points Richard Bonney presents and also planning thier first colony. Good Luck.

Mr. Bonney's Book was an easy read. I read it in 3 evenings. The 'Practical Guide' is just that - a 'Road Map'. I appreciated Mr. Bonney's opinions and lack of wishy-washy caveats. I did not find the short-falls another reviewer found.

I appreciate the Tables that present the Data and capsulize that Data or Information. For example, I finished the Book, went on line, Yahooed 'Beekeeping', found some vendors and successfully prepared a 'general' or 'ballpark' budget based on recommended hive dimensions, clothing and so on - in less than 30 minutes!

My demeanor is such that I prefer to make my own decisions and Mr. Bonney clearly stated when he held a view where others differed. This is not a 'my way or the highway' Book.

A very good starter book, but still needs more precise detail. For example, warns of swarms and to watch for, but does not say "what" to watch for. Assumes reader knows something about bees and their habits. I do not. Am a beginner from the word go, and need more information than this books holds. However, a good addition to the home collection.

This is more than a "how-to," beginner's guide to beekeeping: it is a homage to a remarkable creature. The author's comprehensive knowledge and admiration for the fuzzy little guys is evident on every page. His advice is practical and free of mushy sentiment. A lovely book.

I've read "Beekeeping: A Practical Guide" from cover to cover and I enjoyed
reading it. The author has a kind of subdued humor that I particularly like
and the instructions on how to treat the hive seemed quite complete. In
fact using this book as a guide I installed three hives yesterday morning.

After that experience I realized that there were two things left out that the
author should have included. Perhaps if there's another edition he will
add them.

First, there needs to be an explanation of the consequences of being
stung and not flicking the stinger out. If one does not do this the stinger
will work its way down under the skin and become irretrievable. Then
that whole stinger becomes something the body reacts against. Bonney
accurately stated that for many people bee stings are no big deal and
at the same time asserted that one should immediately flick the stinger
out. All this is quite accurate. What was left out was an explanation
of the consequences though of not more or less immediately getting that
stinger out.

On the third hive I was stung multiple times and lost track of where
all the stings were. At the time the stings hurt a lot for a minute
or two and then faded to insignificance. Now almost twenty-four hours
later I know exactly where each stinger is that I failed to flick out.
And it has dawned on me that this painful reaction is going to persist
for many days.

Second, one step in installing a package of bees is the hanging of the
queen cage between two frames suspended by a metal disk that comes on
the queen cage. I was all prepared for that possibility. (I read and
reread Bonney's step-by-step instructions at least three times.) What
I wasn't prepared for was queen cages with plastic strap and without
a metal disk. Therefore I didn't have the proper tools to attach
the queen cage to a frame.

Now Richard Bonney had no way to anticipate this change of practice. But
what would have helped is an explanation of why it's so important to
suspend the queen at the top. Yesterday morning I didn't know what to
do and left the queen cages on the bottom of each of their respective
hive bodies. Now almost twenty-four hours later, I wake up realizing
that the queens might die because the worker bees aren't going to cluster
around the queen at the bottom of the cage to keep her warm.

It's still a good book. I recommend it.

I found Richard Bonney's book to be a great read for those who are interested in getting into beekeeping. The language of the book is clear and effective in communicating what a new keeper can expect to deal with in their first season of beekeeping. The book does not get bogged down in onerus details, but provides an effective general overview.

This is a great book for anyone who is interested in beekeeping. It outlines the needs and requirements of being a beekeeper in a very well-organized way.

Well written. Has great information and easy to read. Every new beek (bee keeper) should have a copy.

The book came on time and was in wonderful condition. My dad found it a valuable addition to his collections. Thanks!

I am new to beekeeping, so cannot give strong specifics about the details of the book. What I can say is:

+ The seller delivered the book quickly and well packaged.

+ The book was highly recommended to me by someone who has been keeping bees, multiple hives, for over 20 years, and has lots of honey production.

+ The book is straight-forward to read, gives additional resources on the topic, and is written in clear language.