Raising Resilient Bees offers a natural, sustainable, and replicable model for hive health and production, making it the comprehensive source for new and experienced beekeepers.
Increased pest and disease pressure presents an unprecedented challenge for the modern honey bee. Hobby and commercial beekeepers alike continue to experience troubling rates of mortality for their colonies, with deleterious consequences for the stability of wider ecosystems and overall food security. It is time for a global focus on restoring the health of the shared apiary through naturally reared, genetically diverse, and resilient lines of bees.
Raising Resilient Bees translates these crucial goals into real-world practice. Authors Eric and Joy McEwen distill over two decades' worth of beekeeping experience, experiments, and professional production to deliver groundbreaking methods in queen-rearing, varroa mite management, and Natural Nest hive design. Inside, you'll discover:
Revived and adapted heritage Integrated Pest Management techniques
Methods to naturally rear queens and select for resilient, mite-resistant genetic lines without relying on swarming or grafting
Key tenets of apicentric beekeeping
Advice for establishing a flourishing and sustainable beekeeping business
With over 100 color photographs and illustrations alongside expert advice and easy-to-follow instructions, Raising Resilient Bees delivers critical and timely information for every beekeeper.