The bee book has been written and compiled by beekeepers who are also apiary officers of the Dept of Primary Industries & Fisheries, Queensland. It draws on their personal experience and that of other beekeepers, as well as over 100 years of departmental research and experience.

This practical, readable and comprehensive book contains detailed information on honeybees and on every aspect of responsible, successful beekeeping, whether as a hobby, a part-time occupation or a commercial operation.

It also covers the special requirements of managing hives in Australia where, in contrast to cooler areas, bees often continue to breed and gather honey throughout winter.

This 3rd edition also deals with palletisation and the small hive beetle, and provides an expanded list of agricultural chemicals, with information on their known toxicities to bees.

Contents include: introduction to bees and beekeeping, the honeybee colony, beginning in bees, hive construction & preservation, general management, flora, feeding & watering bees, queen bees and package bees, swarming, removing the honey crop, honey extracting, useful machinery, products of the hive, pollination, pests of bees, endemic diseases of bees, chemical poisoning of bees, exotic diseases and pests, Australian native bees, contact details for apiary officers in Australia, glossary of terms, further reading, alphabetical index,

137 illustrations in black & white and 61 in colour.