The Art and Adventure of Beekeeping

by Ormond Aebi, Harry Aebi

An earlier edition with the same ISBN is available here.

Explaining not only the how but when of beekeeping, guaranteeing the greatest honey yield, the Aebis from a lifetime of experiance offering amazing insight into the inner life of the hive, the language of the bees, gathering and gentling wild swarms, as well as methods of preparing and maintaining healthy hives.

Two personable bee masters, whose name means "honeybee," describe how they earn a living from beekeeping an how they broke the world's record for wild flower honey from a single hive.

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet and gentle book by a sweet and gentle man who really loves his bees. Even if you don't plan to raise bees, you'll be so impressed by his love of nature that you'll never swear at a bee again. It's love in the old-fashioned sense, a simple admiration and connect that shines through the stories he tells. Plenty of lessons for life, too. Thanks to Brian Fitzpatrick who sent me a copy.

[Steven Bonisteel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure who pitched the idea of a world-record honey haul (from a single hive) as the reason folks would want to hear from the late Ormond Aebi. No matter; readers will quickly forget that a Guinness record was achieved, because they will be wrapped up in Aebi's love of the bee itself.

If you keep bees (or have kept them, as I did during the same period Mr. Aebi achieved his record harvest) his anthropomorphism of the insects will ring true. A scientific text, it is not.

Also, not really a guide to record-breaking harvests. But, clearly, that's not why Mr. Aebi wrote this book.

[Happy Hedgehog · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has great advice to offer on beekeeping, as well as funny experiences to keep you from losing interest. I would definitely recommend this to anybody who as an interest in beekeeping and would like to learn more about it.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good old fashioned advice and stories.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book turned up in a box of beekeeping supplies handed down from one of my wife's relatives when they heard that we were setting up a hive in our yard. My expectation from this ragged copy of an out-of-print text was for a dry, dated, technical overview of beekeeping. Rather, it is in large measure a charming memoir imbued with kindly observations on beekeeping, life, and family. The interested reader can escape to an era before the conspiring plagues of habitat destruction, parasitic mites, and toxic pesticides have become such dire threats to the survival of our pollinators and hence, our food safety. There is plenty here to make it worthwhile on strictly utilitarian grounds for a beginning beekeeper (or anyone simply interested in these fascinating creatures -- Apis mellifera). At the same time, the humorous interplay between the father and son co-authors is priceless. Their ability to weave a yarn with humor, grace, and details of life in their time stuck with me: stories of scratchy and muted voices over long-distance party-line phone calls made to pass family lore on how best to ease the pain of a sting; or growing up learning the family trade in rural Oregon; or living through WWII to settle down in the Santa Cruz hills and win a world record for wildflower honey production. I never expected to find anything to laugh about in a handbook on beekeeping, so was pleasantly surprised. Hopefully, the book will be released back into publication for a new generation of beekeepers to enjoy.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely lovely book by a man who loves his bees. Not so much in the way of a guided HOWTO which is the current fashion, but more a meandering recital of the authors life as a Beekeeper. Some absolute gems in terms of practical tips to not only maximise your hives production, but also in how to coexist with your bees (and your neighbors)

[Lisa Houlihan]

An engaging voice though I wonder if he could have been published if one of his hives hadn't earned him a Guinness record (404 lbs. of honey in one season). Lots of his god in it, and apparently he hears voices. But he certainly knows bees, and he and his father are wonderful mechanics, carpenters, and all-around tinkerers.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting for tips on hive management. It is kind of an old book - the library has it. I did not read the whole thing as much of it is concerned with recording setting honey production. These guys went for the record and earned it. They were located in the Santa Cruz mountains.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beekeeping stories are just feeding my "bee fever". An old book, but delightful