Purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501752618/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_7SAFXQPCC8C2CMHDYSAJ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Estimated price: $21.51 with Prime membership (includes free shipping)

Since 1973, tens of thousands of first-time and experienced beekeepers alike have relied on The Beekeeper's Handbook as the best single-volume guide to the hobby and profession of beekeeping.

Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile have created the best single-volume guide to the hobby and profession of beekeeping. The Beekeeper's Handbook provides step-by-step instructions for setting up an apiary, handling bees, and working throughout the season to maintain a healthy colony and a generous supply of honey. Various colony care options and techniques are explained so that beekeepers can make the best choices for their hives.

The Beekeeper's Handbook is an invaluable resource for both beginner and veteran beekeepers. This fully updated and expanded fifth edition includes:

• Hand-drawn instructional diagrams that provide step-by-step instructions
• Updated research regarding the health and behaviors of bees in different habitats and what operations may best suit individual needs
• Information on how to identify, treat, and prevent the introduction of Varroa destructor mites and other harmful intruders in a colony

Purchase at Penn State Extension: https://extension.psu.edu/beekeeping-basics (limited availability)

Purchase at Hungry Bear Farms: http://www.hungrybearfarms.com/beekeeping-basics-book-by-penn-state/

Estimated price: $10.00-$15.00, plus shipping

Beekeeping can be a fascinating hobby, a profitable sideline, or a full-time occupation. Beekeeping Basics provides information on the colony and its organization, beekeeping equipment, how to start with bees, colony management, how to manage maladies, honey production and processing, pollination, and handling beeswax and pollen trapping, as well as a glossary and an appendix.

What Will You Learn About?

• The Colony and Its Organization (Queen, Drones, Workers, Laying Workers, Bee Development, Brood);
• Beekeeping Equipment (The Hive, Ancillary Equipment, Protective Clothing);
• Starting with Bees (Package Bees, Nucleus Colonies, Buying Established Colonies, Collecting Swarms, Taking Bees out of Walls and Buildings, Selecting the Right Type of Bee for Your Operation, Apiary Location, Beekeeping in the Urban/Suburban Setting);
• Handling Bees (Colony Management, Early Spring Management of Overwintered Colonies, Swarm Management, Late Spring and Summer Management, Fall Management, Summary of Management Practices throughout the Year);
• Managing Maladies (Diseases, Parasites, and Pests and Their Control; Brood Diseases; Diseases of Adult Bees; Parasitic Mites; Pests);
• Protecting Honey Bees from Pesticides);
• Honey Production and Processing (Forms of Honey, Honey Removal and Processing, Marketing);
• Pollination (Moving Bees, When to Move Bees on to the Crop, Colony Strength, Number of Colonies Needed, Competitive Plants, Colony Distribution, Effect of Weather, Crop Characteristics and Needs, Pollination Contracts);
• Handling Beeswax and Pollen Trapping (Rendering Beeswax, Trapping Pollen from Colonies)

Purchase from Penn State Extension: https://extension.psu.edu/a-field-guide-to-honey-bees-and-their-maladies

Estimated price: $12.00 (plus shipping)

Featuring more than 100 full-color photographs, A Field Guide to Honey Bees and Their Maladies is designed to assist beekeepers in recognizing the symptoms of common honey bee maladies. Sections on varroa and tracheal mites, hive beetles, bee lice, bears, and skunks, as well as diseases such as American and European foulbrood, nosema, and Colony Collapse Disorder. Simple cultural control methods are also provided. Spiral bound and printed on durable 4-by-8 stock, this reference will prove indispensable in the field.

What Will You Learn About?

• Normal honey bee development
• Honey bee parasites
• Honey bee diseases (brood diseases, adult diseases, disease-like conditions, and Colony Collapse Disorder)
• Predators of honey bees
• Pests of honey bees (African/Africanized honey bees)
• Pests currently not found in North America