Resources for Backyard Beekeeping
Websites
How to start beekeeping - The Apiarist
https://theapiarist.org/how-to-start-beekeeping/
By a British beekeeper, so some of the terms used may sound strange, but the advice is really good. If you are new to beekeeping, don’t worry if not all of it makes sense.
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Organizations
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Kentucky State Apiarist
Kentucky Dept. of Agriculture
Frankfort, KY
502-573-0282
https://www.kyagr.com/statevet/honeybees.html
It is useful to know that Kentucky has a State Apiarist.
Madison County Beekeepers Association
Meets: Fourth Monday of the month, at 6:00 p.m.
Madison County Extension office
230 Duncannon Lane Richmond, KY
Contact: Kent Kessler, kjkessler3@gmail.com
One of the best ways to learn is to hang out with experienced beekeepers. This is a fairly large group. Most are Langstroth hive managers.
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Honey Bee Health Coalition
https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/
Information on management of varroa and diseases.
YouTube Videos
Les Crowder Top Bar Beekeeping
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNIRB_SINQk&ab_channel=GuardianDogoArgentinos
Gives a good feel for what it is like to work a top bar hive or bees in general.
Books
Top-Bar Beekeeping: Organic Practices for Honeybee Health
by Les Crowder and Heather Harrell | Aug 31, 2012
Crowder is one of the experts on top bar beekeeping. This is the book we used for the Backyard Beekeepers Project.
Keeping Bees With a Smile by Fedor Lazutin & Dr. Leo Sharashkin (ed.)
ISBN 978-0-86571-9279 (pbk), 400 p., 170+ ill., 2nd Edition, 2020.
An introduction to beekeeping with horizontal hives like the Layens.
The Beekeeper's Handbook (2021)
By Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile
A comprehensive resource for all aspects of beekeeping with Langstroth hives.
A few sources of beekeeping materials and bees (there are many more)
Mann-Lake Bee and Ag Supply
HorizontalHive.com
13040 Hwy EE, Cabool, MO 65689
https://www.horizontalhive.com/
Source of Layens hives and resource materials.
Dadant & Sons
https://www.dadant.com/catalog/
Jim Tyrrell, Berea KY
859-302-0014
Jim is a master woodworker who has built top bar hives and Layens hives for the BUF.
Planting for Pollinators
Pollinator Partnership
https://www.pollinator.org/guides
Detailed lists of native pollinator-supporting plants for each region of the US. Berea is at the junction of the Eastern Broadleaf Forest (Oceanic) Province and the Eastern Broadleaf Forest (Continental) Province, so you can refer to both lists.
Xerces Society
This regional plant list highlights native plants that are highly attractive as food sources for adult pollinators; support caterpillars of butterflies and moths.
