Keeping Bees with a Smile: A Vision and Practice of Natural Apiculture (Gardening with a Smile, Book 3) by Fedor Lazutin (2013-05-03)

You can keep bees, naturally! "Keeping Bees With a Smile is a valuable guide for independent-minded beekeepers who are seeking ways to keep bees without treating them with chemicals, disrupting their homes, and otherwise intruding on their lives. Fedor Lazutin, one of Russia's foremost natural beekeepers, describes a beekeeping system based on a trust of a bee colony as a living being capable of solving life's challenges without human assistance. Beginner-friendly and complete with fascinating photographs, it is a special book, and one that I expect will 'shake up' the thinking of the independent-minded beekeepers in North America and Europe." - Thomas D. Seeley, Cornell University, author of Honeybee Democracy. Are you just curious about bees, or a practicing beekeeper looking for natural alternatives that work? This book is for you! Fedor Lazutin's approach is fun, healthful, rewarding, and accessible to all. Discover his unique insights on how to: * Keep bees naturally without interfering in their lives. * Start an apiary for free by attracting local bee swarms. * Build maintenance-free hives that mimic how bees live in nature. * Keep colonies healthy and strong without any drugs or gimmickry. * Help bees overwinter successfully even in the harshest climate. * Enhance local nectar plant resources. * Produce truly natural honey without robbing the bees. * Reverse the global bee decline... right in your backyard! An invaluable resource for beginners and professionals alike, this richly illustrated book is complete with plans for making bee-friendly, well-insulated horizontal hives with extra-deep frames - plus other fascinating advice you won't find anywhere else. You will gain a profound respect for the bees' intelligence, the practical information for successfully starting and maintaining a few (or many!) colonies in your own backyard, and an appreciation of the bees' harmonious cooperative ways - which may be key to creating a brighter future for our planet.