Finding Beekeeping Books

Beekeeping books our local bee club donated to our local library. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Finding Beekeeping Books

One of our new beekeeping students is so excited, she wanted to know what beekeeping books to buy online to give her a head start.

To her surprise, I told her not to buy any books just yet. She can find an excellent selection of beekeeping books at our local public library. How do I know?

Our local bee club donated the beginning beekeeping books a couple of years ago. The idea was to have a nice selection of current beekeeping books so beginning beekeepers would have easy access to a nice selection of reading material.

Now some of these beekeeping books will be read once, maybe twice. When the new beekeeper outgrows the book, it’s time to select something else. Nothing wrong with the first books, that’s why we have them at the library. Some are excellent gateway books, introducing new beekeepers to how to keep bees.

Others have excellent photos but little narrative, and even more are specialty beekeeping area books - how to raise queens and planting for pollinators.

And yes, I have read all of these beekeeping books. That’s why we donated them, my bee buddy David and I determined these were excellent reference books.

How to Check Out Books

If you have never checked out a book from a library, you will need a library card with your membership number on it. Your membership card is free if you live within city limits.

Most libraries also have a membership fee for non-city members. Where I live, the non-city membership fee is $20 a year.

Books can be checked out for 2 weeks at a time, and renewed over the phone if you haven’t finished reading it.

And now, where to find the beekeeping books.

Libraries have a numbering system tied to their catalogs. Here is the sign at our public library showing the catalog topic numbers. Beekeeping books at the Rolla Public Library are in the 637 section.

Turn right at the sign to find Rolla Public library beekeeping books,. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Once at the shelves, it’s time to start looking for the appropriate numbers on the side of the books.

This library section easily distracts me with books on animals. That’s after I get sidetracted by the nearby gardening section.

Tall stack, now which shelf? (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Don’t see any beekeeping books?

Me, either, until I pulled out a book on the absolute bottom shelf. The beekeeping books are all turned sideways so it’s hard to read the spines of the books.

Library Director Rebecca Buckley said the shelves are being re-organized and updated so don’t be surprised if the beekeeping books move again. The key is to follow the subject numbers.

All the way to the bottom, where it isn’t easy to see! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Check out a book or two that interest you and get comfortable with beekeeping terms. Enjoy the photos. Realize that once you get started, you will be dealing not with static pages of information but tiny buzzing creatures that would rather have you out of their way. it’s definitely a partnership. The bees know what they are doing, now it’s your turn.

So check out a beekeeping book, your adventure is about to start!

Charlotte