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David Aston and Sally Bucknall 2010 194 pages A350
This new text describes how to manage colonies of Apis mellifera honey bees (in frame hives, in the UK) such that they remain healthy in the presence of Varroa, other diseases, and our far from perfect environmental situation. The authors set out a clear methodology for practising integrated bee health management, to give bees an excellent chance of healthy survival. Sections 1 and 2 describe the natural history of the colony and management approaches for maintaining bee health; Sections 3 and 4 describe pests, predators and diseases and their prevention and control; Sections 5, 6 and 7 cover the essentials of good bee husbandry, caring for the queen and managing swarming; Section 8 is a useful guide to what needs to be done each season during a typical year, while Section 9 describes other techniques that the beekeeper may sometimes need. This text is readable and clear, describing the careful and informed approach to beekeeping that becomes increasingly necessary as conditions for honey bees deteriorate.
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