A perfect beginner insight into the world of Beekeeping, and how the beginner beekeeper can get started. 

First Lessons in Beekeeping introduces the prospective beekeeper to the basics of beekeeping through easy-to-understand text and numerous color photos on honey bee biology, beekeeping equipment, management, honey production and processing, as well as disease diagnosis and treatment.

In the preface to this book, author Keith Delaplane says of his first book on beekeeping, "Its pages opened to me a golden world of honey bees and beekeeping and guided my stumbling steps that first spring season. My story is but one of thousands who have passed through the door opened by Dadant's little book."

This book mainly covers tendencies found when working hives as a beginner in the USA, however, many lessons and teachings are shared across continents. 

The definitive publication on queen bee breeding in Australia. Covers cell raising, grafting, nutrition, pests and diseases, reproductive biology, genetics, mating apiaries, queen banking, controlled mating, packaging and much more.

• Queen cell production
• Grafting
• Nutrition
• Pests and diseases
• Reproductive biology
• Honey bee subspecies
• Breeding stock evaluation and maintenance
• Genetics and the honey bee
• Selective breeding programs
• Drone mother colony management
• Nucleus colonies and mating apiaries
• Catching, caging and shipping queen bees
• Queen banking
• Queen bee introduction
• Queen markets, interstate movement regulations and levies
• Controlled mating
• Calendar of operations
• Package bees

Published in 2016, Queen bee breeding is part of the AgGuide series and is 170 full-colour A4 pages.

Authored by Tocal College, NSW 

This book informs beekeepers of best practices so that their hard work results in a product of optimum quality.  It also informs beekeepers of the threats to honey quality which can occur through poor handling skills or poor design of facilities.  It includes references to legislation about food production, where relevant.  It shows the way to document procedures so that they can be used as evidence of best practice.

Table of Contents:

• Hive to Extraction
• Safety
• Properties of honey
• Remove honey from the hive
• Transport from hive to extracting facility
• Extraction premises
• Site
• Design
• Mobile extraction facilities
• Honey extraction
• The extraction process
• Extraction equipment
• Maintenance
• Honey storage
• HACCP for the honey industry
• Controlling and maintaining honey quality
• Appendix 1: Checklists and record sheets
• Appendix 2: Codex for honey
• Appendix 3: Antibiotic residues
• Appendix 4: Sample safety data sheet
• Appendix 5: Vendor declaration

Published in 2017. This book is A4 in size and full colour.

Combining the substantial expertise of many of Australia's leading native bee researchers, this book is a guide to observing and keeping Australia's broad range of native bee species.

Table of contents:

• Bee biology and behaviour
• Bees as pollinators
• Agricultural beescapes
• Native bees for pollination services
• Urban bee ecology
• Creating artificial nest sites for Australian solitary and semi-social bees
• Bee identification
• Stingless bees
• Capturing, photographing and classifying bees
• Bee biosecurity
• FAQ about Australian native bees

Published in 2016, Australian native bees is part of the AgGuide series. It is brilliantly photographed and illustrated and includes 170 full-colour A4 pages.

This publication was produced by Education Delivery, Tocal College, NSW Department of Primary Industries, as a collaborative effort with native bee specialists from across Australia. Particular thanks to Dr Anne Dollin, Dr Katja Hogendoorn, Dr Tim Heard, Dr Saul Cunningham, Dr Romina Rader, Dr Manu Saunders, Dr Tanya Latty, Dr Caragh Threlfall, Dr Tobias Smith, Dr Megan Halcroft, and Dr Michael Batley for their generous time and expertise. Thank you also to the photographers and illustrators for their incredible skill in producing the beautiful bee images throughout the AgGuide.