A Beekeeper's Year

Rating:
Summary: Also Includes Recipes for honey cookies
Review: "I have always been fascinated by insects and enjoyed observing them and writing about them. Beekeeping interested me because it seemed to be an example of humans cooperating with the natural world rather than changing or controlling it." -Sylvia A. Johnson

Do you ever wonder where all those bees hide out in the winter or how honey gets from a bee hive to that cup of tea you are sipping? Well the story is actually rather fascinating. This is a story about John and his wife Mary Ann who make their home in Minnesota, one of the nation's leading producers of honey.

This book shows how a beekeeper works with bees through the seasons. It show how he introduces a new queen into a hive in the spring, tends the hives during the summer months and extracts the honey in the fall. Who knew you had to help the bees stay warm in the winter. And bees getting antibiotics or stealing honey from one another. Very interesting.

"Yesterday John got a call from the post office in town. The clerk told him that he had received a package from Georgia. It was making a buzzing sound. Could he please come in and pick it up? Right away?" pg. 10

You will find fascinating information in:

A Beekeeper and His Bees
A Beekeeper's Tools
A Queenright Hive
Spring Jobs
Bees at Work
Preventing Swarms

I've always preferred a honey called: Orange blossom honey. It is more difficult to find than the "clover" honey and it is wonderful in tea if you can find it. While you are drinking your tea, you might enjoy eating the "Honey/Chocolate Chip/Coconut Cookie." There is a recipe on the last page. Or, you might enjoy the Cocoa with Honey or Honey/Peanut Butter Spread. That is what my dad used to make us for breakfast when we were kids. It always got us right out of bed.

"I just like to know," said Pooh humbly. "So as I can say to myself: 'I've got fourteen pots of honey left.' Or fifteen, as the case may be. It's sort of comforting." -Winnie-the-Pooh, From The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

Rating:
Summary: Great introduction to beekeeping
Review: We are a homeschooling family who used this particular book as a read-aloud. We are considering taking up beekeeping as a hobby and this book is a great introduction to beekeeping for both children and adults. It helps you to see what you'd be getting into if you choose to take up beekeeping. The photographs are beautiful and really complement the text. We would love to see John Wetzler's honey house and help with the extracting process.