Favorite Bee Book/Video

[mtnb]

What is your FAVORITE bee book and/or movie/video? Educational or fictional...

[D Coates]

Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum

[mtnb]

That's the one I'm reading right now!  It's been the most helpful so far. That and the For Dummies one. I have some others from the library that are ok. I also liked 50 Years, and 1st Lessons. I'm thinking of getting Honeybee Democracy by Seeley. It sounds interesting.
I've watched the end of Queen Latifa in some bee movie a while ago but didn't really get what was going on. Looked kinda fun though. I picked up an ex elementary school book years ago, Bzzz A Beekeeper's Primer. Believe it or not, that one answered alot of questions I had. lol

Anyway, please, more suggestions... 

[Heather Jernigan]

I know that Michael Bush is on this site, so I hope this doesn't look like I'm sucking up, but I have gone through a myriad of beekeeping books and the most helpful by far has been Michael Bush's The Practical Beekeeper series. If you haven't had a chance to read them yet you are missing out on excellent information.

In fact, whenever anyone at the club questions a direction I'm going (foundationless, no treating, etc.) I feel confident referring back to Mr. Bush.

It's obvious that there are as many differing opinions on the best way to raise bees as there are beekeepers, and I'm certain that each method espoused works for that beekeeper, but after weighing up everything that I've read I'm firmly in the "school of Bush" camp.

[Heather Jernigan]

If you're interested in documentaries about honey bees check these out:
https://apicultureanonymous.wordpress.com/2013/07/11/honey-bees-documentaries-watch/

I've seen "More Than Honey" which was pretty darned depressing, but reinforced my resolve in being a beekeeping hobbiest.

I know the Queen Latifa movie you're talking about with Dakota Fanning. And there's an old one with Peter Fonda called Ulli's Gold. Movies with beekeeping in them, but not about the beekeeping itself.

My boss said I should check out the animated "Bee Movie" - have you seen that?

[mtnb]

I know that Michael Bush is on this site, so I hope this doesn't look like I'm sucking up, but I have gone through a myriad of beekeeping books and the most helpful by far has been Michael Bush's The Practical Beekeeper series. If you haven't had a chance to read them yet you are missing out on excellent information.

In fact, whenever anyone at the club questions a direction I'm going (foundationless, no treating, etc.) I feel confident referring back to Mr. Bush.

It's obvious that there are as many differing opinions on the best way to raise bees as there are beekeepers, and I'm certain that each method espoused works for that beekeeper, but after weighing up everything that I've read I'm firmly in the "school of Bush" camp.

Yes! That's definitely the way I'm going too. You're right. I should probably get that one next. Thanks!

[mtnb]

If you're interested in documentaries about honey bees check these out:
https://apicultureanonymous.wordpress.com/2013/07/11/honey-bees-documentaries-watch/

I've seen "More Than Honey" which was pretty darned depressing, but reinforced my resolve in being a beekeeping hobbiest.

I know the Queen Latifa movie you're talking about with Dakota Fanning. And there's an old one with Peter Fonda called Ulli's Gold. Movies with beekeeping in them, but not about the beekeeping itself.

My boss said I should check out the animated "Bee Movie" - have you seen that?

Thank you! I will watch that! I've not heard of More Than Honey. Will check into that. Is that one of those movies like Food, Inc, where you will never want to eat again? lol

I have seen the Bee Movie. It's cute. I love animated movies and watch them even though my kids are now grown. lol I watch TCM more than anything but haven't noticed that Fonda movie you mention. I'll keep my eyes open for it. Thank you Heather.

[Candiebears]

The Complete Step-by-Step Book of Beekeeping
by David Cramp

I read (most of the book) in like 3 days. Couldn't put it down..lol. Plus it put it in Newbee terms... which made it easier. I absorbed a ton  of info from it!

[jayj200]

JPthe beeman

[Dallasbeek]

Honeybee Democracy by Dr. Thomas Seeley.  Amazing research on how, when, why bees swarm and the decision-making process they use to choose a new home.  When the bees arrive at a concensus, it's a done deal and the superorganism of the colony is usually of one mind.  All those tiny brains function as one. 

[BeeMaster2]

I second "The Practical Beekeeper".
Jim

[Colobee]

I like & have "The Practical Beekeeper", but my favorite is still "The How-To-Do-IT Book of Beekeeping" by Richard Taylor.

[Michael Bush]

My favorite beekeeping video is "Sister Bee".  Favorite movie that involves beekeeping is probably "Secret life of bees" although Ulee's gold isn't bad either.  Although "Elementary" gets a lot of bee things wrong, I love that they have several of my books.  So far I've seen "The Practical Beekeeper" and "The Australasian Bee Manual" show up on the show.  I keep expecting "Huber's New Observations On Bees" to show up.

http://bookshelfcinema.tumblr.com/post/64361934778/did-you-see-it-in-tonights-episode-of
http://bookshelfcinema.tumblr.com/post/67712875393/the-illustrated-australasian-bee-manual-and

[ziffabeek]

My Dad bought me "The Buzz about Bees" by Jurgen Tautz when I got my first hive.  Heh, not really a good practical beekeeping book, and some of his assertions left me a little dubious, but if you like the scientific side, it is a great read.  I learned a lot about the biological background of bee behavior, which, while it doesn't really help me find a queen or diagnose a problem, it does help me answer some of the out there questions that people ask me about bees. 

I'm a Bush-camper as well when it comes to practicality, with a portion of Iddee-ism thrown in. 

I also really like "At The Hive Entrance" by H. Storch.

I like the secret life of bees.  I also really enjoyed "More than HOney"  an austrian film about the relationship between man and bees.  The filming alone is spectacular.  The concept thought provoking.

My 2p. :) 

love,
ziffa

[Rurification]

I use Michael Bush's The Practical Beekeeper and the information on his site a whole lot.     I have Honeybee Democracy on my To Read Soon list -

For fun:  Keeper of the Bees, by Gene Stratton-Porter.    It's fiction, written in the 1930s about a WWI vet healing from the war, who finds himself caretaker of a small apiary in California.   

[Michael Bush]

As far as my favorite bee book, a scene from "28 days" comes to mind when they ask Sandra Bullock what her "drug of choice" is and she says, with dismay, "I have to choose!?"  I like most of the bee books I've read.  Some more than others, but there is insight in most of them.  All of Taylor and Doolittle and Miller I like a lot.  Quinby is interesting for other reasons.  His first book is before they forced him into hives with frames, so it's about keeping bees in box hives with a level of understanding and skill that destroys the myth that you had to kill all your bees to harvest and the myth that you couldn't actually manage them that way.  One of my favorite sites is Kirk Websters site.  I'd love to see it published in a book.  "The Buzz about Bees" and "Wisdom of the Hive" have both been a lot of fun.  "Bee" with all the awesome pictures is pretty cool.  And of course I published all the ones that took me years to find that were still not in print.  Hopkins is very practical.  Carl Killion  was the master of comb honey.  But I have to say I'm partial to Huber.  So much detail on so many topics...

[mtnb]

Thank you all so much for your replies! My list is definitely growing now. lol I definitely wanna watch Sister Bees. That sounds interesting. The Secret Lives of Bees is the Queen Latifa movie! I think that sounds familiar. The buzz About Bees really is a great little book. We read it for our homeschool. Ooh, so many books, so little time. :) some of these people you all mention I've never heard of so I'll definitely check into all of them. Thanks again!