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Beekeeping Today
A Practical, Seasonal Guide for Beginning Beekeepers
By Jeff Ott and Rebecca Masterman
Foreword by David T. Peck
Published by Lyons Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
Learn to navigate the dynamically changing world of beekeeping
Whether your goal is to harvest honey, support local pollination, or simply enjoy a fascinating new hobby, Beekeeping Today provides a solid foundation for anyone interested in keeping honey bees. This guide follows the natural rhythm of the hive, walking you through your first year of beekeeping season by season and giving you a complete, realistic picture of what it takes to maintain a thriving apiary. Each section focuses on the practical tasks and observations unique to that time of year—from the spring hive setup and acquiring your first honey bee colony, to summer’s population growth and fall’s honey harvesting, to successfully overwintering a colony and performing the first hive split in the second spring—so that your knowledge grows alongside your bees.
Along the way, authors Jeff Ott and Rebecca Masterman share insights from their years of experience in hands-on beekeeping, research, and beekeeper education. They also address common challenges, including pests, parasites, pesticides, and diseases. By tying solutions back to a deeper understanding of honey bee behavior and biology, they ensure you will gain the knowledge and confidence needed to become a responsible and successful beekeeper.
Chapters cover:
Whether your goal is to harvest honey, support local pollination, or simply enjoy a fascinating new hobby, Beekeeping Today provides a solid foundation for anyone interested in keeping honey bees. This guide follows the natural rhythm of the hive, walking you through your first year of beekeeping season by season and giving you a complete, realistic picture of what it takes to maintain a thriving apiary. Each section focuses on the practical tasks and observations unique to that time of year—from the spring hive setup and acquiring your first honey bee colony, to summer’s population growth and fall’s honey harvesting, to successfully overwintering a colony and performing the first hive split in the second spring—so that your knowledge grows alongside your bees.
Along the way, authors Jeff Ott and Rebecca Masterman share insights from their years of experience in hands-on beekeeping, research, and beekeeper education. They also address common challenges, including pests, parasites, pesticides, and diseases. By tying solutions back to a deeper understanding of honey bee behavior and biology, they ensure you will gain the knowledge and confidence needed to become a responsible and successful beekeeper.
Chapters cover:
- An overview of honey bee biology
- Colony dynamics
- Beekeeping equipment and safety
- Purchasing honey bees and siting your apiary
- Colony inspection checklists
- Queen skills and strategies
Product Details
- Publisher: Lyons Press (February 2, 2027)
- Length: 296 pages
- ISBN13: 9781493091379
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Raves and Reviews
"Beekeeping Today is just what a new beekeeper needs and its clear, easy-to-understand style will help you build a proper foundational understanding of bees and your role as beekeeper. Jeff and Becky have already helped so many through the Beekeeping Today Podcast, and this book is a fitting next step on their journey to help the world of beekeepers."
– Kamon Reynolds, founder of the North American Honey Bee Expo
“Beekeeping Today is a comprehensive how-to that lays out the steps to becoming a beekeeper in an easy-to-digest timeline, taking readers from cautiously curious through their second spring season. But my favorite part of the book is the firsthand experiences Becky and Jeff sprinkle throughout, documenting their individual journeys as beekeepers. Beekeeping is notorious for having many different approaches, and these personal anecdotes reflect the varied philosophies and practices that make the craft both challenging and rewarding.”
– Tara Chapman, Two Hives Honey
“If you want to know how to keep bees and grow in the craft, simply stated, this informative and detailed book has it all. The authors have decades of experience and technical apicultural abilities. With the inclusion of abundant photos and visual charts, details and technical procedures are made clear and understandable. This is a must-have book for any beekeeper but particularly those who want to competently advance their beekeeping skills.”
– Dr. James E. Tew, emeritus faculty, The Ohio State University; host, Honey Bee Obscura Podcast
“There are many books to help conquer the learning curve of starting colonies of honey bees. This one is especially helpful. Top Beekeeping Today podcasters Jeff Ott and Becky Masterman patiently and expertly guide us through the first year of setting up a bee hive and inspecting and managing honey bees for an entire seasonal cycle. Written in clear and understandable terms, it feels like they are present with us every step of the way, holding our hand as we begin our beekeeping journey. A delightful, practical, very helpful introduction to the art and science of beekeeping.”
– Dewey M. Caron, content and communications specialist, Oregon Master Beekeeper Program, Oregon State University
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