Global bee populations have been rapidly declining for years, and it’s not just our honey supply that’s at stake: the contribution of bees to the pollination of crops is essential to human survival. When the virus slowed our lives down, encouraging people to stay at home, enjoy the outdoors and focus on the natural world, activities like gardening, bird watching and beekeeping grew in popularity.
According to Wikipedia:
“The keeping of bees dates back to 9,000 years ago, and has been traditionally for honey. In the modern era, it is more often used for crop pollination and other products, such as wax and propolis. The largest beekeeping operations are agricultural businesses that are operated for profit, though most beekeepers are non-commercial and have fewer than 25 hives. Many people have small beekeeping operations that they do as a hobby. As beekeeping technology has advanced, beekeeping has become more accessible, and urban beekeeping has become a growing trend. “
On March 30th at 11 am, join local beekeeper Lior Shliechkorn at the Livingston Public Library, as he gives you an introduction into the fascinating world of beekeeping and harvesting of honey. After an overview of the various kinds of, and the importance of bees to our ecosystem, he will talk of how bees are kept, the components of a beehive, and the do’s and don’ts of taking care of bees and maintaining hives. Various products originating from bees will be discussed, including how honey is harvested and its many benefits.
Here is a list of books (and a DVD) available with your library card if you wish to dive further into the world of bees and beekeeping.
Bee People And The Bugs They Love by Frank Mortimer
Mortimer invites readers on an eye-opening journey into the secret world of bees– and the singular world of his fellow bee-keepers. In connecting with a club of disparate but kindred spirits, he discovers the centuries-old history of the trade; the practicality of maintaining it; what bees see, think, and feel; how they talk to each other and socialize; and what can be done to combat their biggest threats, both human and mite.
Bees And Their Keepers : A Journey Through Seasons And Centuries by Lotte Moller
The study of bees has often been considered a divine occupation, as the creature’s attention to detail and purpose is so special, and the honey they produce is almost magical. In this compelling cultural history that moves beautifully through the beekeeper’s year, Swedish beekeeper and writer Lotte Möller shares her understanding of bees and bee lore from antiquity to the present with deep knowledge and sharp wit. Möller gives insight into the activity in the hive and describes the bees’ natural order and habits.
Buzz Into Beekeeping : A Step-By-Step Guide To Becoming A Successful Beekeeper by Charlotte Anderson
Experience the joy of keeping bees and learn more about hive styles, pest management, harvesting honey, modern uses for beeswax, and so much more. Master Beekeeper Anderson gives you all the fundamentals of becoming a successful beekeeper.
Honey And Venom : Confessions Of An Urban Beekeeper by Andrew Cote
A year in the life of New York City’s premier beekeeper, who chronicles his adventures and the quirky personalities he encounters while spreading his infinite knowledge of and passion for the remarkable honey bee. From the humble drone to the fittingly named worker to the queen herself–who is more a slave than a monarch–the hive world, Andrew Coté reveals, is full of strivers and slackers, givers and takers, and even some insect promiscuity.
A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings : A Year Of Keeping Bees by Helen Jukes
Helen Jukes is entering her thirties and feeling disconnected and trapped by her office job. Then, for good luck, she is given a colony of honeybees. According to folklore, a colony, freely given, brings good fortune, and the author embarks on an emotional, rewarding journey during the course of a year as she cares for these wondrous beings and learns the art of beekeeping.
Liquid Gold : Bees And The Pursuit Of Midlife Honey by Roger Morgan-Grenville
After a chance meeting in the pub, Roger Morgan-Grenville and his friend Duncan decide to take up beekeeping. Their enthusiasm matched only by their ignorance, they are pitched into an arcane world of unexpected challenges. Coping with many setbacks along the way, they manage to create a colony of beehives, finishing two years later with more honey than anyone knows what to do with. By standing back from their normal lives and working with the cycle of the seasons, they emerge with a new-found understanding of nature and a respect for the honeybee and the threats it faces.
Hatidze lives with her ailing mother in the mountains of Macedonia, making a living cultivating honey using ancient beekeeping traditions. When an unruly family moves in next door, what at first seems like a balm for her solitude becomes a source of tension as they, too, want to practice beekeeping, while disregarding her advice.
The Idle Beekeeper : The Low-Effort, Natural Way To Raise Bees by Bill Anderson
From building a hive to harvesting honey, a top urban beekeeper shares how to care for bees the simple, mindful waY. Maximum idleness is achieved through step-by-step directions to help the beekeeper gently harvest honey with minimum effort, make mead and beeswax candles, and closely observe and understand these fascinating and productive social creatures.
The Backyard Beekeeper : An Absolute Beginner’s Guide To Keeping Bees In Your Yard And Garden by Kim Flottum
This handbook features expert advice for: setting up and caring for your own colonies; the best location to place your new bee colonies for their safety and yours; the most practical and nontoxic ways to care for your bees; swarm control; using top bar hives; harvesting the products of a beehive and collecting and using honey; bee problems and treatments,.
What Bees Want : Beekeeping As Nature Intended by Susan Knilans & Jacqueline Freeman (title on order)
Bee populations are plummeting. The solution? Give them what they need to live naturally. When bees are allowed to live as they would in nature (with smaller hives, no chemicals, freedom to swarm, and little-to-no human interference), they will thrive. Accordingly, Knilans and Freeman have spent decades perfecting the revolutionary practice of preservation beekeeping, guided by the simple question, “What do the bees want?”
–Archana, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian