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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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  • From: Randall Austin <ra41717 AT gmail.com>
  • To: Orange County Beekeepers <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [ocba] More free books
  • Date: Sat, 03 Mar 2012 12:13:12 -0500

Here are a couple of links to free e-books (pdfs) some folks may find useful. Search half-way down on the page to where it says, "Download attachments".

CC Miller's "50 Years Among the Bees": http://www.apinews.com/en/component/k2/item/17581
This is one of my favorites. The autobiography itself is a very interesting story --- trained as a medical doctor, Dr Miller couldn't handle the stress of life-and-death decisions so he became a music teacher. He began beekeeping when, while he was out of town, his wife captured a swarm that had collected in their backyard. Beekeeping became a passion and CC Miller is known as one of the founding contributors to modern American beekeeping. He tells about different beekeeping challenges he faced, what he did about them, and how things turned out. He beings by saying, "I cannot tell someone the best way to keep bees; only what has worked for me." His example of a life-long quest for knowledge coupled with a great humility is an attitude that everyone should try to adopt.

H Storch's "At the Hive Entrance": http://www.apinews.com/en/component/k2/item/17580
This book illustrates how a beekeeper does not have to do an invasive inspection (pulling frames) to have a good idea of how a colony is doing. Basic observation of bees coming and going can tell you a great deal. The book is a list of observations and what those observations may mean. However beginners must note three important caveats: 1) this book was originally written in German and has been translated to English, so there may be some loss of clarity through translation; 2) German beekeeping practices and equipment differ a bit from those in the US, so don't get bother trying to decipher references to the hive's "rear window" etc.; 3) the text is fairly old so treatment recommendations should be taken in a historical context --- don't assume you should do what he says. Aside from that contextual perspective, the practical advice to use unobtrusive observation as a supplement to a full-information invasive inspection is something every beekeeper should know how to employ.

Randall Austin





  • [ocba] More free books, Randall Austin, 03/03/2012

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