First Lessons in Beekeeping

by Keith S. Delaplane

First Lessons in Beekeeping introduces the prospective beekeeper to the basics of beekeeping through easy-to-understand text and numerous color photos on honey bee biology, beekeeping equipment, management, honey production and processing, as well as disease diagnosis and treatment. In the preface to this book, author Keith Delaplane says of his first book on beekeeping, "Its pages opened to me a golden world of honey bees and beekeeping and guided my stumbling steps that first spring season. My story is but one of thousands who have passed through the door opened by Dadant's little book."

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Animals

166 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jessa Kindel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Officially completed my class and am writing this book as a certified bee keeper. It gets a solid 4 stars and only loses points due to some older inaccurate practices in bee transfers and ineffective pest control methods. Overall a great read and very educational. Excellent for beginners and had fun excerpts about bees from various authors at the beginning of each chapter.

[Emmaline Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

let’s all pray for me on my beekeeping exam tomorrow😫 i read this all today and i still think i’m going to fail

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource for any stage beekeeper

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of great information without being overwhelming.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a reason this book has remained the go-to guide to beekeeping for over 100 years. A master class in how to start your own apiary. Buzz buzz

[Anna Gianakopoulos · Rating 3 out of 5]

read for class, 3 stars cuz they made us read it before class for NOTHING and im mad, it was interesting but i lowkey skimmed the last 50 pages

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent beekeeping book for the beginner. It gives you pretty much everything you need to know to start your own hives, work them, keep your bees healthy, and harvest honey. This is sort of the Dr. Spock for beekeepers.

[Book Lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for my Monday night course of “Beekeeping 101” through the local community college. It’s essentially our textbook.

The book layout is simplistic and direct which makes the information comprehensible and easy to follow. Because this book is a true INTRODUCTION to beekeeping, it only highlights the most basic principles/data so instead of being overwhelmed or discouraged, you feel like you’d be able to be a competent and safe beginner beekeeper.

There is a plethora of things to learn about beekeeping with no shortage of places to gather the information. But this book has already been very useful and I can easily see myself referring back to it when needed.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good instructional book. Given to me by Betsy Daniel after I expressed my interest in beekeeping. We'll see where it goes, but I'm taking a class starting in February! I think this will be the first of several books about beekeeping that I'll be reading soon.

[Kristen Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good and simple explanations, yet lots of detail as well. I can understand why this seems to be the Bee Bible. I feel much more confident in my knowledge of bees and what it takes to be a beekeeper. I have a feeling that I will continue to reference this book many times.

[Peregrine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for a beginning beekeeper.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was easy to read and very informative for a new beekeeper, complete with lots of photos.

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great little book, not too in depth but full of information. I am sure I will be reading sections again!!

[Gregg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very friendly introduction to beekeeping. As a complete novice, I don't know what I don't know, but I feel like after reading this I could get started in beekeeping.

[Gini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Self-published feel to it, but easy to understand, educational, and a must have for anyone getting into beekeeping

[Deanna Blount · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful, easy read. The explanations were pretty clear and the pictures definitely helped. Definitely recommend for a new beekeeper or someone considering becoming a beekeeper.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great overview of beekeeping with many practical applications and tips sprinkled throughout. I marked a few pages with notes I will refer back to in the future.

[Billie Hinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific first book on beekeeping. This was the book given to us in my beekeeping school and it has been a wonderful way to begin the learning process. Lovely illustrations and the quotes at the beginning of each chapter are inspiring. Looking forward to getting my bees!

[Nickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our package of Apis Millifera should be arriving on the 18th of this month!

Having never raised honeybees, it seems that this little book was informative and a good review of the class I and the kids took locally at the county bee association.

I'm totally excited to learn with kids and watch the queen and workers create a new brood. At the same time I sure hope we don't get these terrible diseases that are also a possibility.

[Ellen Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book for starter beekeeping advice. It was easy to read and understand, and it included many explanatory photos and diagrams. I've also read Kim Flottum's introductory book on beekeeping; however, I enjoyed this one a lot more. The information was direct and to the point, without a lot of superfluous information and conjecture/opinions from the author. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone interested in getting started with keeping bees.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just reread this book in preparation for my hives coming soon! I read it a year ago, but had to wait a year for my township to establish a permitting process before actually getting bees. I'm not sure how to rate a book that is geared toward beginners in any venture, but it comes highly recommended by the beekeeping community, made me feel more confident, and also made me sure that diligence is required. For that it deserves 5 stars.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering this is my first book about beekeeping and that this is a hobby I'm diving head first into in a month, I feel like I got a great overview of what I can expect once my bees arrive.

Typical non-fiction DIY style, the history->details->troubleshooting evolution of the book is easy to follow, and will be a great reference when the time comes.

[Sybil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book that was given to students at the Introduction to Beekeeping course, I took last month. Chock full of interesting background and helpful techniques for novice beekeepers.

[James Stout · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new Bible for Beekeeping. It's got great illustrations and very practical information. I think this might even be enjoyable for somebody not interested in keeping bees.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those seeking introductory, well written, scientific reads, this should be at the top of the list. Simply written for beginners and equally interesting to a fellow biologist.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's one of my go-to's when I need a quick answer.

[Kimbolimbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. Quick, simple, informative and relaxing.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wealth of knowledge for beekeepers. Good companion for when you are in the field and want to refresh yourself.

[Jason Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great resource for raising bees.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great photos and how to install and deal with problems, but a little thin on day to day (week to week) hive management.