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Author: Lawrence John Connor 

Publisher: Wicwas Press

Publication Date: December 2009

100 pages with 167 full color photographs, 6 x 9 inches 

Retail Price: $23.00

In this post-varroa, post-Colony Collapse Syndrome era, beekeepers everywhere are developing localized, mite-resistant bee stocks. Key to this is their ability to raise queen cells and queens. Bee Culture/American Bee Journal author Larry Connor describes a very successful queen rearing method using Starter and Finisher colonies. Connor also wrote Increase Essentials and Bee Sex Essentials.

The book is organized as follows: Queen and Colony Evaluation, Queen Marking and Clipping, Biology of Cell Production, Cell Starting, Making Queen Cells, Cell Development, Cell Finishing, Drone Production, Nucleus Production/Cells, Evaluating New Queens, and Cells and Queens Only — A look at a large-scale queen operation.

“Detailed and practical manual” A “must-have for every beekeeper” filled with “astounding photographs.”

Connor: Bee Sex Essentials. $25 (includes US Media Postage)

“Every beekeeper should have a copy on his desk or in his library.” — Richard Adee

Bee Culture/American Bee Journal writer Dr. Larry Connor reviews the latest and essential knowledge of drone and queen production, mating and genetics. He clearly and concisely shows how the sex life of bees directly impacts the fate of the colony. In turn, this affects the success of the beekeeper. He outlines a sample bee breeding program for a sideline beekeeper with under 100 colonies who wants to produce queens from survivor, locally-adapted, hygienic and mite-resistant strains of bees. Drawing on his experience operating the Starline and Midnite hybrid programs, he advocates dramatic changes in the way beekeepers obtain quality queens by utilizing locally produced late spring and summer queens. The book adds to the body of knowledge presented in Increase Essentials, below.

Comments about Bee Sex Essentials:

“Fantastic!  . . . This book, Bee Sex Essentials, provides not only the background information necessary to understand honey bee genetics and breeding, it also contains a wealth of pratical information in how to put what we know to good use.”
                                      —Dr. David Tarpy, North Carolina State University

“Well done. A scientific book written from a beekeeper’s perspective. Easy to read and understand. It covers all the biological facets of the honeybee, especially those associated with queen rearing. Every beekeeper should have a copy on his desk or in his library.”
          —Richard Adee, Adee Honey Farms, Bruce, SD (the world’s largest beekeeping firm).

Connor: Increase Essentials.  $18 (includes US Media Postage)

This new 128-page book started from Bee Culture articles, but were extensive edited, revised, refined to reach a wide beekeeping audience. Many new photos were taken just for the book. It is a practical look at various methods to increase your colony holdings, and how other beekeepers do it. Suggests standards for nucleus colonies. Shows how beekeepers are wintering nuclei and using or selling them the next spring. Well illustrated. the reviews (below)on this book strongly suggest this is a book to buy to grow your bee business!

Comments about Increase Essentials:

"I picked this book up from Ben Chadwick one weekend and couldn't put it down. This is the best new  beekeeping book I have read."

We are currently being blasted with the message that we northern beekeepers need to stop relying on Southern bred queens and packages. In order to do this we will need to sucessful Northern queen breeders and to learn how to make summer nucs to supply ourselves and others with spring bees.

Increase Essentials should be your handbook for success next year. It is just the right size, contains all the necessary information and is guaranteed to teach you something about bees you didn't already know. Each chapter is concise and well written, simplifing the process for the beginner and the "it's too much for me to do" older beekeeper (you know who you are). You don't have to get involved in grafting larvae to be successful in improving your survivor stock and growing your own operation. This book walks you through your options.

Larry has written some great articles in the recent issues of Bee Culture and this book lets some of his sense of humor shine through much like the articles. Larry is a scientist but also a practical beekeeper so his advise is tailor made for all of us.

For the serious beekeeper this book is Essential.

Review by Wendy Booth, Editor
Pawtuckaway Beekeepers Association, Monthly Newsletter, September 2006
www.pawtuckawaybeekeepers.org
h2ofront@comcast.net


"An outstanding addition to beekeeping literature. It reminds me of the style of Dr. C.C. Miller."

"I just received your book in Saturday's mail and have read it completely. It is an out standing addition to beekeeping literature. It reminds me of the style of Dr. C.C. Miller and I enjoy the information and I will be turning to it often. I will also recommend it to beekeepers. It is a book which can be read over and over and each time, something new emerges. I liked your approach to include all beekeepers from beginners to commercial.
I will put this book on the must have list on my web site."

—Dana Stahlman, Blacklick, Ohio, stahlmanapiaries@aol.com

"Provided new ideas for improving our bee farm"

"Just finished reading your new book and wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed it. It affirmed many of the things I am doing and provided new ideas for improving our bee farm. Your articles are a favorite of mine as you have the rare expertise of combining academic and real life experience that rings true in your writing and opinions. I look forwrd to seeing you at future bee meetings."

"I will be  recommending your book to bee clubs as I visit them."

—Dan Conlon, Warm Colors Apiary, Deerfield, MA, warmcolors@version.net.

Doolittle: A Year in an Out-Apiary. $23 (includes US Media Postage)

Delightfully reformatted and supplemented with a table of contents, index and an interview by E.R. Root, this reprint reviews Doolittle’s out-apiary experiences in 1905. His automobile was new, but his queen and increase methods are still very useful a century later. For example, he explains how he uses a queen excluder to make up new colonies with all nurse bees so he does not need to move the hive to a new apiary and risk loosing the field bees, thus weakening the hive.