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Apprentice Master Beekeeper Additional Reading
(updated 04/06/2023) Links used in the Apprentice Master Beekeeper Certification Classes (2008 – 2020)
(NOTE: As of 2017, antibiotic use (other than Fumigillin) requires veterinary feed directive (View article (website))
(As of 2020, “Certan”, B402, now available in the U.S. for wax moth management (View article (website))
GENERAL MANUALS, BOOKS & PRESENTATIONS | DISEASES & PESTS | QUEENS & SWARMING |
PERIODICALS | REGULATIONS | OLD BOOKS & MISC.. |
General Manuals & Presentations
- A Practical Manual of Beekeeping (pdf) – An excellent British manual by David Cramp. Contains advanced topics. 304 pp.
- Beekeeping Basics (pdf) – MAARAC
- Advice for New-Bees (website) – from Master Beekeeper Janet Wilson, B.C. Be sure to check out the Menu in the upper right for the other sections.
- Beginning Beekeeping for Kentuckians (pdf)
- Beginning Beekeeping Short Course Powerpoint Presentations (website) – Virginia Cooperative Extension Classes (large downloads)
- Beekeeping Fact Sheets (website) – MAARAC (also Honey Bee Biology and Educational Resources at the top of the page)
- Beginning Beekeeping Videos – Iowa State University . A 13-part series
- First Year Beekeeping (website) – Randy Oliver, Scientificbeekeeping.com
- University of Guelph Beekeeping Videos (website) – Excellent series of how beekeeping is done in Ontario.
- Ohio State University Beekeeping Webinar Archive (website) – Archived programs linked at the bottom of page.
- Pollination and Protecting Pollinators (video) – WSU video, including recent WA survey of neonics in beehives. Also includes info on the WSU Honey Bee Breeding Program. ~1hr.
- Bee Hive Inspections for Beginners (video) – An interactive exercise by “Carolina Honeybees”
Diseases and Pests
- USDA Honey Bee Diagnosis (website) – Submitting samples
- Honey Bee Veterinary Consortium (website) – Find a vet for antibiotic bee disease treatment
- Honey Bees and Beekeeping: A Year in the Life of an Apiary (website) – Of special interest to beginners is this video collection.
- A Field Guide to Honey Bees and Their Maladies (pdf) – Penn State and MAAREC. Great color pictures
- Diagnosis of Honeybee Diseases (pdf) – Ag Handbook 690
- Integrated Hive Management for Colorado Beekeepers (pdf) – Mostly good general information (remember that all beekeeping is local!)
- Wax Moth IPM (website) – Clemson University, S.C. Wm. Michael Hood. Complete information.
- Insect and Mite Pests in Food, an Illustrated Key – Vol. 1 (pdf)-Agriculture Handbook 655. Excellent keys to wax moth species. 10+ mB
- Honey Bee Diseases and Pests: A Practical Guide (pdf) – Ag and Food Engineering Tech Report 4
- Identify American Foulbrood in 90 Sec.(website) – Great video from B.C.
- Holst Milk Test for American Foulbrood (website) – Dave Cushman’s Beekeeping Website
- Holst Milk Test (website) – Randy Oliver, Scientific Beekeeping
- European Foulbrood Identification (website) – Bee Informed Partnership. Good images.
- Making a Plan for Varroa (pdf) – Meghan Milbrath, Sandhill Bees
- Tools for Varroa Management-A Guide to Effective Varroa Sampling & Control (website) – READ THIS ONE! Honey Bee Health Coalition. Includes demonstration videos, guide and spreadsheet
- Varroa-Treat Packages and Swarms (website) – NY Bee Wellness
- Varroa Management (website) – Scientificbeekeeping.com
- Varroa Sampling and Thresholds (website) – Scientificbeekeeping.com
- Varroa Mites-a step-by-step guide to monitoring (pdf) – Cornell U.
- Varroa Calculator (pdf download) – U.K. Bee Base. “Your results may vary”. (All Beekeeping is Local!)
- Mite Calculator – For beekeepers using vaporized oxalic acid. A possible method.
- Varroa biology, detection, management, etc. (website) – U. of Florida
- Bee Mite Identification Tool (website) – USDA & University of Michigan
- Honey Bee Viruses, the Deadly Varroa Mite Associates (website) – Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, the University of Tennessee
- Pesticides Approved in Washington State to Control/Suppress Tracheal and/or Varroa Mites (pdf) – (Note: enter VARROA MITE in the “pest” box) Washington State Dept. of Ag (Apivar (amitraz) added 01/13; Oxalic acid dihydrate (oxalic acid) added 2015)
- Oxalic Acid for Varroa Management (website) – Tips from Scientific Beekeeping
- Oxalic Acid Vaporization Q & A (pdf) – Dadant
- Small Hive Beetle (pdf) – B.C. Ministry of Ag
- The Small Hive Beetle: A Potential Pest in Honey Bee Colonies in Oregon – Oregon State U.
- Small Hive Beetle ID Card – Oregon State U.
- How to Reduce Bee Poisoning from Pesticides (website)– PNW0591. Download PDF
- Protecting Honey Bees Against Yellow Jackets (pdf) – Oregon State U. Fact Sheet FS017E
- Vertebrate Pests of Beekeeping (pdf) – (NOTE: POISONS & BODY/LEG-GRIPPING TRAPS MENTIONED ARE ILLEGAL TO USE IN WA!) U. of Nebraska
- Bear Fencing (pdf) – Randy Oliver’s bear fencing
- Tracheal mite biology, detection, etc. (website) – U. of Florida
- An Easy Dissection Technique For Finding the Tracheal Mite (pdf) – Dianna Summataro (O.S.U.video clip linked HERE.)
- Preventing Robbing (pdf) – U.C. Davis, Dr. E. Mussen. Good for yellowjackets, too. (PDF)
- Why Did My Honey Bees Die? (website) – from Bee Informed Partnership
Queens and Swarming
- The Snelgrove Method of Swarm Control (website) – also good for making splits & rearing queens. Barnsley Beekeepers, U.K.
- The Many Uses of the Snelgrove Board – Wally Shaw . Downloadable in several formats.
- The Demaree Method of Swarm Control (website) – also good for rearing queens. Barnsley Beekeepers, U.K.
- Making Splits & Swarm Prevention (website) – Bush Farms
- Simple Queen Rearing for the Hobbyist (website) – Michael Bush, “The Practical Beekeeper”
- Simple Queen Rearing (pdf)– Three methods
- Graft-Free Queen Rearing (pdf) – Washington State Beekeepers Assoc.
- Queen Rearing via the “Cloake Board” Method (website) -Includes plans for building a Cloake board.
- A Queen Manual (pdf) – Dana Stahlman for use in the Ohio Queen Project, 2007
- Using a Queen Introduction Board (website) (double-screen board)
- Bait Hives for Honey Bees (pdf) – Cornell U. Extension Bulletin 187. 8 pp.
- Bait Hives (pdf) -1p., from MAARAC Fact Sheets (website)
- Swarming – Control (pdf) – from MAARAC Fact Sheets (website)
- Honey Bee Colony Removal From Structures (website) – Clemson Cooperative Extension
Periodicals
- Bee Culture magazine (website)
- American Bee Journal (website)
- Free Newsletters/Publications List (website) – Haywood Co. Beekeeper’s Assoc., N.C.
Regulations
- Chapter 69.28 RCW Washington State Honey Act (website) – Law regarding processing/selling honey
- “The Green Book” (website) – WSDA. (incl. “Selling Honey” regulations (website))
- Apiary Registration and Laws -WSDA
- Resources for Adopting or Changing Beekeeping Ordinances In
Washington State -Washington State Beekeeper’s Association - WSDA Apiary web site (pdf) – Includes links to miticides and WA laws
- Evaluating Honey Bee Colonies for Pollination (pdf) – PNW245 (2011 update)
Books & Miscellaneous
- Extension Bee Health Website
- Washington State Beekeepers Assoc. (website)– Info on all aspects of WA beekeeping. Includes Master Beekeeper info (website)
- Oregon State Beekeepers Assoc. (website)
- National Honey Board (website)
- WSU Snohomish County General Beekeeping links (website) – includes links to local Beekeeper’s Ass’n.s
- Establishing a Honey Bee Colony: Success in the First Year (pdf) – Meghan Milbrath, Sandhill Bees
- Residential Beekeeping (pdf) – Oregon State U. Specifically for Oregon but most info is good for anywhere. 17 pp.
- Keeping Bees in Populated Areas – Tips for Suburban Beekeepers (pdf) – Mid-Atlantic Apicultural Research and Extension Consortium
- Beekeeping Resources (website)– Cornell U. Diseases, Varroa, etc.
- Youtube Videos on Types of Frames (video), Assembly, Frame & Hive Building, Queen Marking, etc.
- Types of Honey Bees (website) – North Carolina Extension
- American Beekeeping Federation Links (website) – Members only downloads
- Scientific Beekeeping (website) – Randy Oliver’s web site
- BeeSource.com (website) – Plans for equipment and lots of other info.
- The Biology of the Honeybee (website)
- CalPoly “We Do Bees” (website)
- In the Beekeeper’s Workshop (website) – Plans with videos. Michigan Beekeeper’s Assoc.
- Low Cost Foundation (website) -From beesfordevelopment.org. PDF download. A test of using non-embossed wax sheets.
- Making Wax Sheets (video) – You-Tube video
- DIY beeswax foundation mould (website) – collection of Youtube links for making foundation moulds
- Simple Single-Frame Extractor (video) – You-Tube Demo
- Honey Harvesting Tips (website) – mostly good. Don’t out-feed wet cappings. Do it on top of inner cover to avoid robbing incident.
- Feeding Bees (website) – Michael Bush, “The Practical Beekeeper”. Lots of other interesting, info, too.
- Considerations in Selecting Sugars for Feeding to Honey Bees (website) – Beesource.com.American Bee Journal, February, 1977,by ROY J. BARKER
- Feeding Fall Colonies (website) – Dr. Dewey Caron, PNW Honey Bee Survey
- “Web Links to the World” (website) – From the “Bad Beekeeping Blog”. Good links from all over….
- Pollen Color Chart (website)– Wikipedia
- Another Pollen Color Chart (pdf)
- Puget Sound Area Hive Management Calendar (website) – West Sound Beekeepers
- National Honey Board (Website)
- Strathcona Beekeeper’s Library (website) – Lots of plans and info on all aspects of beekeeping!
- Master Beekeeper George Imrie’s “Pink Papers” articles (website) – Alphabetical list also available from THIS site
- Journeyman Notes, Wintering Biology, Inspection Sheets (website) – E. Jefferson Beekeepers Assoc.
- Historical Beekeeping Literature (website) – Cornell University
- Beekeeping in the United States (pdf) – 1980 (before mites…). U.S.D.A. Ag. Handbook 335.
- ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture, 1910 & 1920 editions downloadable (website)
- Beekeeping for Dummies (pdf) – 2009 version, 2nd edition.
- Langstroth on the Hive and the Honey Bee – 1922. 21st edition (website)
- American Honey Plants – Frank Pellett. 1920 edition downloadable (website)
- Practical Queen Rearing – Frank Pellet. 1918 edition downloadable (website)
- Flowers and Bees: All About Honey (website) – Nice list of links on various bee and honey subjects
- Dave Cushman’s Beekeeping and Bee Breeding Website (website) – Tons of information on all aspects of beekeeping.
- Swarming: Its Control and Prevention – PDF. 97 pp. L. E. Snelgrove (including Snelgrove board info)
- At the Hive Entrance – H. Storc. What bees are doing by watching them come and go. Downloadable in several formats.
Compiled by Dave Pehling, Zoologist, WSU Extension Snohomish County (ret.)