Beekeeping is a never - stop find out journey and I love a good word about bee , so I jumped at the chance to take “ Common Sense Natural Beekeeping : Sustainable , Bee - Friendly Techniques to help oneself Your beehive Survive and Thrive . ”
A relatively quick read , this book is packed with crystalize moments and interesting position , peculiarly that of the Bee , which the author present in a clean , well-heeled to digest means .
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Kim Flottum
Plus , there are spate of beautiful photographs to drool over .
Here ’s what we ’ll cover in this recap :
The Lineup
First Impressions
As shortly as I start the package that put down on my driveway , I recognized the main writer ’s name .
I duplicate checked and , sure enough , it was the editor emeritus ofBee Culture , a beekeeping magazine that still finds a home in the powder store wheel at my parents ’ house .
I was surprised to see the cover song of this book , unlike many other beekeeping books , was n’t yellow .
Sure , the blanched book features beautiful front covering fire illustrations in shades of yellow ocher , but the deep aubergine of the form of address typography will make it suffer out in the sea of gold on my shelf .
toss through the book of account , there are plenty of gravid , colorful , and high - quality images supporting and enhance the text , and I can never get enough bee photos .
Common Sense Natural Beekeeping
The book , which feels like a gamey - timber coffee mesa magazine with its indulgent cover and thin , straight form , is dissever into three main sections , headed by an insertion , and finished with suggestions for further reading and research .
It ’s available on Amazon .
allow ’s take a quick look at the writers responsible for this work , followed by a more elaborated fun - by - caper of the subject .
As the editor emeritus ofBee Culture , self - proclaimed asthemagazine of American beekeeping , and having been involved in bee matter for a with child part of his life , Kim Flottum is a conversant name in the industry .
He has authored several other books on bee - related subjects , including “ The Backyard Beekeeper , ” “ In commercial enterprise with bee , ” and “ The Backyard Beekeeper ’s Honey Handbook . ”
His carbon monoxide gas - author , Stephanie Bruneau , wrote “ The Benevolent Bee,”which also happens to be the name of her business .
She sells hive product and uses her teaching apiary to train anyone who is interested about bees and bee behavior .
Section by Section
The book is split into easily digestible chunks , which are laid out clear in the table of contents . Let ’s look at what each section arrest .
Introduction
As the authors introduce the idea of using the bee ’s perspective when take a crap direction decision , it becomes obvious that this book is n’t go to be a how - to for initiate .
It concenter instead on good way of doing things , and detail the mind - fault postulate to pull off instinctive beekeeping .
The subject and dash assume the referee is a beekeeper already , or at least has some knowledge of bee and beekeeping .
To illustrate where apiculture has gone wrong in the past , Flottum and Bruneau cover beekeeping ’s history , admit a give-and-take of why and how bees are in trouble , and polish off with their hope for the future of bee and beekeeping .
I appreciated how immediately the authors make it clear that beekeeping is n’t black and clean . Rather , the source set out to represent how Apis mellifera survive in the state of nature .
They recognise that some of these methods might not make sense for a commercial-grade beekeeper , but express the hope that the account book will motivate beekeepers to adjust their management practice , prioritizing the bees ’ druthers aboard – or above – human honey harvesting and craw pollination agendum .
The authors then introduce the settlement as the Bee and use this nomenclature throughout the rest of the book . This allows the reader to take in it for what it is : a superorganism made up of individuals perform specific duty , and all ferment towards one goal .
When I came to the part in the al-Qur’an that explains apiarist can strike into five camps – dominator , steward , partner , participant , and student – I began to query what eccentric of keeper I was .
It was the first of many edifying moments I had while reading this volume .
Home Sweet Home
In the first chapter of this division , entitled “ Where Do bee opt to Live ? , ” the titular dubiousness is answer in detail , with subdivision define each aspect of what stimulate a beehive perfect for the Bee .
By covering what wild Colony would select in a home , from hive material to the direction the entrance confront , the author fix the shot for the next chapter .
In “ Choosing Your Common Sense Hive , ” the authors talk about the pros and bunko game of each of the vulgar hive design , base on what the Bee would prefer in the wild .
Rather than prescribing which hive eccentric is the best and recommend the reader replace their current hive bodies , the authors suggest adaptations to reduce the downside from the Bee ’s linear perspective .
They cover Langstroth , Warré , top saloon , and Layens hives , as well as skep and several other interesting hive types I ’ve in person never seen before .
Throughout , what stood out to me was how Flottum and Bruneau discuss swarming like it ’s a dependable affair !
Swarming is often presented to fresh beekeeper as something to forestall . However , the authors argue that welfare of grant your hive to swarm , such as a natural brood break , outweigh the detriments , which churn down to reduce honey production .
This Bible really boost a hired hand - off direction style , which I ’ve rarely seen or heard of in my former bee recital . Intensive direction and manipulation are often considered responsible beekeeping practices .
Next up , the author allow direction on choose beehive building stuff , exterior design , interior options , and hive location in “ More Real Estate Decisions . ”
Another enlightening second for me was when the rule book explain that wax moth , which are believe a blighter to most beekeeper , have a mutually beneficial family relationship with bees in the wild .
They help keep the bees healthy by remove sure-enough , unused comb that may stop a buildup of toxin . This perspective is completely young and refreshing !
Staying Healthy
Rather than covering each of the pests and disease that bees may face , this Holy Scripture focuses on varroa mites and hopes the natural , Bee - centrical overture presented can be applied in dealing with other issue as well .
This is followed by a treatment of how to successfully take out off a chemical substance - free strategy , including preserve locally adapt and mite - resistant bees , ensure good nutrition , choosing the best hive and hive spacing , and physical manipulations such as destroying drone brood .
Each is viewed from the Bee ’s angle , and the coarse sense natural beekeeping standpoint shines through .
Swarming , in all its natural glory , is explain in a section of the same name that keep up .
From the beekeeper ’s perspective , swarming mean losing half a hive of bee , productivity , and honey yield . But a teem hive is a healthy beehive .
The authors discuss swarm prevention versus direction , and conclusion such as splits and queen rearing , through the lens of the Bee .
One of the biggest reasons bee in general are clamber is useable nutrition , and this is deal in “ What ’s for Lunch ? ” .
Flottum and Bruneau delve into the Bee ’s diet component before discussing whether feeding sugar ( and when ) is common sense or lifelike . They do not discuss feeding pollen or protein substitutes .
They end this section by putting out a call for pollinator corridor in areas of monoculture , something everyone can contribute to by institute aboriginal , nectar- and pollen - rich plants .
Common Sense Natural Beekeeping in Practice
Drawing on case studies of five beekeepers from around the world , the authors make a subject for the potential of using a bee - centrical approach and the embarrassment of mode it can be apply .
The beekeepers profile vary from cause a few hives in their backyard to over a hundred hives , keep their bees in a wide variety of hive types , and practice different management methods .
The book closes out with a varlet of final recommendation , summarizing the Bee ’s preferred beehive design and management .
After the conclusion , the authors list referenced and suggested further reading and inquiry , which I really apprise .
It gives everything I just read legitimacy and a scientific foundation , which I ’m sure you will apprise as well .
Final Thoughts
As soon as you become the gallant keeper of a hive full of bees , the responsibility of helping them not just to survive , but thrive , also falls on your shoulders .
There are burden of ledger available prescribing many different management methods and it can be punishing to sift through and detect the best , most born way .
This book will help you to make decision inform by the wild Bee ’s instinctive intelligence .
If you are a beekeeper calculate to address and improve the sustainability of your bee pursuit or line of work in a natural agency , I highly recommend this book .
The concepts are simple and enlightening , and the techniques name are adjustable and adaptable for any beekeeping situation .
Kim Flottum and Stephanie Bruneau ’s “ Common Sense Natural Beekeeping : Sustainable , Bee - friendly technique to facilitate Your Hives Survive and Thrive ” isavailable on Amazonnow .
Plus , if you found this article helpful , gibe out our otherbook reviewsto service you find out the right resources to research your interests and suffer your needs , starting with these :
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Sylvia Dekker
