The Australian beekeeping manual /
Robert Owen.
- Wollombi, N.S.W. : Exisle Publishing Pty Ltd, 2015.
- 344 pages : illustrations (chiefly colour) ; 25 cm.
Scheduled to be published October 2015.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 336 - 338) and index.
Life history of the honey bee -- Basic equipment and protective clothing -- Constructing hives -- Frames and how to build them -- Your first bees -- Locating your bees -- Spring and summer management -- Autum and winter management -- Extracting -- Preparing honey for sale and competitions -- Rearing queens -- Sustainable beekeeping -- The bee-friendy garden -- Native bees -- Diseases of the honey bee -- Parasites of the honey bee -- Pests of the honey bee -- Other types of bees and wasps.
The essential beekeeping manual for both novice and experienced beekeepers in Australia. The ultimate reference source. The book is aimed at both the novice and experienced beekeeper in Australia and explains in detail the steps required to manage colonies of bees. Supported by over 350 photographs and drawings, each action to be performed is explained in detail with photographs showing the steps as well as the final result. Many potential beekeepers are unclear about the equipment they need to buy and how to obtain their first colony of bees. The first chapters in the book explain in detail the equipment needed as well as equipment that may be useful later on as their confidence and experience grows. The chapter 'Your First Bees' explains how to obtain bees, where to locate them in the garden, and the basics of colony management. In addition to chapters on keeping bees, there are detailed chapters on the life cycle of the honey bee, extracting honey, the bee-friendly garden, entering honey in competitions, native bees and rearing queens. The result is a comprehensive manual that includes material not available in other Australian, North American or European books and is the ultimate Australian reference source.