The Bee-friendly Beekeeper

This book examines the issues surrounding modern day beekeeping practices and advances a case for the use of natural comb hives to allow the bees species-specific behaviours to be expressed. The author suggests the top-bar hive of Émile Warré as a practical and economical alternative to frame hives and describes the bee-friendly features of its operation. The book includes construction plans and modern tips for its management. In recent years beekeepers have suffered heavy losses of colonies. This book examines the possible issues behind this problem and drawing on our knowledge of bee biology identifies a possible approach to keeping bees that is more bee-appropriate. A case is made for making natural comb the centre of a way of beekeeping that better respects the nature of the honey-bee.  Among the hives based on relatively natural comb is that of Émile Warré and the author describes the bee-friendly features of its operation. 80 colour illustrations and 16 line drawings. Fully annotated with supporting 117-reference bibliography including. up-to-date apiological and apicultural primary literature. thoroughly indexed.  Suitable for beginners who already have a basic knowledge of the life of the honey bee, as well as for beekeepers with experience who want to discover a more bee-friendly way, either with their existing hives or with the Warré hive.