23 Best Beekeeping Books
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.
Beekeeping is a wonderful hobby but it can be a bit overwhelming in the beginning. That’s why I’ve put together a list of the best beekeeping books-from trusted resources. Whether you are a beginner with your first hive or an experienced beekeeper wanting to learn more, these books on beekeeping will offer valuable information and guidance.
Books on Beekeeping (Beginner to Advanced)
Proper beekeeper education is one of the most overlooked paths to beekeeping success. Yes, you need experience too. However, access to good books about keeping bees should be your first step in learning.
Top Beekeeping Books for Beginners
We begin with some of the top beekeeping books for new beekeepers. They are from trusted sources in the beekeeping community. I have most of these sitting on my book shelf and I have read all of them.
1. Beekeeping for Dummies
5th Edition – Howland Blackiston – For Dummies, 2020
Author Howard Blackiston does a great job explaining the minute details of beekeeping. With many illustrations and images on all aspects of the craft, Beekeeping for Dummies is a good reference book for anyone and very helpful beginner beekeepers. I still find myself referring back to it for a refresher from time to time.
2. The Beekeeper’s Handbook
Diana Sammataro & Alphonse Avitabile-Comstock Publishing Associates 2021
One of my favorite instructional books, this title boasts a great glossary, good photographs and diagrams.
The Beekeeper’s Handbook will take the beginner well beyond the first year with easy to read text and many diagrams.
3.The Beekeeper’s Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses
Richard Jones and Sharon Sweeney-Lynch -Stewart, Tabori and Chang – 2011
This volume is a veritable one book encyclopedia of beekeeper terms, recipes and ideas. It contains much information beyond maintaining a hive and is a very useful beekeeping reference book. It would make a great beekeeping gift for those starting out.
4. The Backyard Beekeeper – An Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Keeping Bees
Kim Flottum-Quarry Books – 2018
Kim Flottum, a long time editor of Bee Culture magazine gives an in depth look at keeping a beehive in your backyard.
This is one of the best bee books in my library. It give many examples of beekeeper problem solving and ways to overcome challenges.
5. Buzz into Beekeeping– A Step by Step Guide to Becoming a Successful Beekeeper
Master Beekeeper – Charlotte Anderson – Skyhorse – 2020
Buzz into Beekeeping is a written compilation from my years of teaching new beekeepers online and in person at local meetings.
Covering every subject from buying bees and setting up the hive through the first honey harvest, I am sure it will add some valuable practical tips for any new apiarist.
6. The Thinking Beekeeper: A Guide to Natural Beekeeping in Top Bar Hives
Christy Hemenway – New Society Publishers – 2013
The Thinking Beekeeper takes a look into the world of natural beekeeping. For those who are interested in using Top Bar Hives instead of the standard Langstroth – this book is a must read.
7. Your Beekeeping Journal: A Guide for Beekeepers
Charlotte Anderson – 2018
Your Beekeeping Journal is my guide to hive record keeping. It is available in a professional print format from Amazon.
The journal contains: a beekeepers’ calendar, monthly hive record sheets and forms for individual hive notes. A diary page in the back gives the beekeeper room to make notes of the current year’s progress and plans for next year.
8. Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture, 2nd Edition
Ross Conrad – Chelsea Green Publishing – 2013
Natural Beekeeping is an iconic volume to beekeepers who are seeking a more natural way to keep honey bees.
In this revised and updated edition, Ross Conrad gives sensible, holistic advice on managing bees naturally. He is a heck of a nice guy to – I enjoyed meeting him at a conference years ago.
9. Building Beehives For Dummies
Howland Blakiston – For Dummies – 2019
Many new beekeepers have a yearning to build their own beehives. If you have some pretty decent carpentry skills, this is not an impossible goal.
However, while bees can live in many different locations there are some things you need to know before throwing a box together. In Building a Beehive for Dummies, Mr. Blakiston covers the most important details every hive builder needs to know!
10. Beekeeping for Beginners: How To Raise Your First Bee Colonies
Amber Bradshaw – Rockridge Press – 2019
Beekeeping for Beginners is a step by step guide for the new beekeeper. It covers the fundamentals of setting up your hive and the key issues to watch out for. A good read for anyone who is just beginning.
11. Beeswax Alchemy: How to Make Your Own Soap, Candles, Balms, Creams, and Salves from the Hive
Petra Ahnrt – Quarry Publishers – 2018
A classic title that has been around for a while, Beeswax Alchemy remains one of the most recommended books for learning how to make things with beeswax.
I include the one in the beginners section because new beekeepers are always excited about all the things they can make with beeswax and other hive resources.
You can learn to make beeswax candles, homemade furniture polish, diy body butters and more. The possibilities are endless.
Books for Experienced Beekeepers
If you are a beekeeper who has moved beyond the first year or two of the hobby, perhaps you want to delve a bit deeper into honey bee knowledge.
We all want to understand our colonies better in hopes of helping them be healthier and more productive.
12. The Beekeeper’s Problem Solver: 100 Common Problems Explored and Explained
James Tew – Quarry Books – 2015
In spite of all the preparation in the world, things don’t always go just the way we beekeepers hope. Problems do arrive in beekeeping regardless of our best efforts.
In this book, author James Tew, outlines some of the most common problems and tribulations experienced with bee hives.
13. Increase Essentials
Lawrence John Conner – Wicwas Press-2014
Mr. Conner, has a knack for writing wonderful beekeeping books that give you the information you need without a lot of fluff. These texts are jam packed with useful information that any beekeeper will find useful.
He has several books in the series: this title deals with some of the challenges of increasing your hive numbers. A great read and reference.
14. Advanced Top Bar Beekeeping: Next Steps for the Thinking Beekeeper
Christy Hemenway-New Society Publishers – 2016
Advanced Top Bar Beekeeping: Next Steps for the Thinking Beekeeper
If you are yearning to try a different hive style, perhaps the Top Bar Hive will appeal to you. It is a perfectly fine type of hive to use for bees – though I admit to steering first year newbie beekeepers toward a Langstroth hive instead.
This book takes the beekeeper to the next step of Top Bar Beekeeping.
15. Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping
Dewey M. Caron with Lawrence John Connor-Wicwas Press 2013
Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping, Revised Edition
This is actually a beekeeping textbook perfect for novices. It explains the how, why and when of beekeeping practices in a way that is easy to understand.
Loved by beekeepers because it is a complete package of information that helps them be successful. Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping is a great choice for your library.
16. Queen Rearing Essentials
Lawrence John Conner, Randy Kim & Robert Muir – Wicwas Press – 2009
Another great title from Lawrence John Conner, Queen Rearing Essentials is a must-have book for beekeepers wanted to rear their own queen bees.
A highly-recommend beekeeping book with numerous pictures and illustrations to help any aspiring queen breeder.
17. Confessions of a Bad Beekeeper: What Not to Do When Keeping Bees
Bill Turnbull – The Experiment – 2011
Bill Turnbull captures some of the funny things that he has experienced in this beekeeping book about his journey into the hobby.
All beekeepers make mistakes and we sometimes feel that we fail our colonies. Enjoy reading about this beekeeper’s experience and get a few beekeeping tips too!
Honey Bee Books
The titles in this section can be useful to beekeepers who want to better understand why their hives do some of the things bees do.
They are also fun for any nature lover that wants to understand more about bees and their relatives – as well as, ways to help them.
18. Honey Bee Democracy
Thomas D. Seeley-Princeton University Press – 2010
Author, Thomas Seeley, does a remarkable job of taking us inside the world of the honey bee. This fascinating book – Honey Bee Democracy examines the colony as a total social organism.
It not a basic how-to book but rather a deeper investigation into why bees do some of the things they do! Great reading for any bee enthusiast.
19. The Buzz About Bees – Biology of a Superorganism
Jurgen Tautz- Springer – 2008
The Buzz about Bees has actually been a big help to my beekeeping experience. An interesting read for bee nerds like me.
This is one of my favorite books on honey bee behavior. As you may note by the sticky notes protruding from the pages.
20. Feed the Bees: 100 Plants to
The Xerces Society – Storey Publishing LLC – 2016
Feed the Bees is a smaller book that is a good size for a field guide. Not only does it give you clear images to help in bee plant identification – it also lists the native regions and growing conditions. Covering a wide range of plant types – this is a great book for pollinator lovers.
21. The Bees in Your Backyard: A Guide to North America’s Bees
Joseph S. Wilson and Melissa Messinger Carril – Princeton University Press – 2015
The Bees in Your Backyard is not just a honey bee book – though you will certainly find some interesting information inside. Rather, it goes deep into the world of insects and teaches you about all the relatives of our honey bees.
A great reference for the nature lovers who enjoy identifying insects. I bought a copy – sold it later and then wished I had kept it – so I’ve purchased it twice!
22. Bees in America: How the Honey Bee Shaped a Nation
Tammy Horn -The University Press of Kentucky – 2006
Perhaps you already know that honey bees are not native to North America. The first colonies (Black Honey Bees) were brought to the new world by settlers. Anyone with an interest in beekeeping and history will enjoy this book about early beekeeping in our country.
23. Wild Honey Bees: An Intimate Portrait Hardcover
Ingo Arndt and Jürgen Tautz with a forward by Thomas D. Seeley
If you are true lover of honey bees, you do not want to miss this honey bee book. The images are breathtaking – even to a beekeeper with years of experience.
Not really a “how to” beekeeping book, it does contain some interesting insights into the life of our bees.
Conclusion
In spite of abundant resources online, many new beekeepers desire to obtain a book or books. You will find interesting ideas and styles of beekeeping online. The many interesting methods are fun to explore and you may want to try them.
However, use care when learning about beekeeping online. Not every method shown works in all climates, or all situations. Ultimately, you are responsible for your bees.
In recent years, the market has become flooded with these beekeeping books. Some of them are excellent works written by beekeepers who really know their stuff.
Others are massed produced by publishing companies to meet the demand for information about keeping bees. I have seen some advice that is absolutely wrong – no matter your climate or situation.
Everyone has a different “take” on keeping bees and having several good beekeeping books is a great way to learn.
Once you have a bit of bee knowledge under your belt – try my e-book on Questions and Answers Every Beekeeper Should Know.
