York Beekeepers Association is proud to offer members access to an extensive beekeeping library—a carefully curated collection of books covering everything from beginner-friendly hive management to advanced queen rearing, honeybee biology, seasonal techniques, and the latest research in apiculture. Whether you’re looking to deepen your understanding, troubleshoot a tricky hive issue, or simply enjoy the rich history of beekeeping, our library provides a wealth of knowledge to support your journey. Members are welcome to borrow and explore at their leisure, making it an invaluable resource for beekeepers of all experience levels.

See the list of books below and if you are interested in borrowing a book, contact our Librarian (library@yorkbeekeepers.com) to arrange.

Library No. Author Title Year
1 Acton B & Duncan P Making Mead 1983
2 Adam Br Breeding the honeybee (1987) 1987
3 Adam Br In search of the best strains of bees (1983) 1983
4 Alston F Skeps - their history, making and use (1987) 1987
6 Anderson, Buys & Johannsmeier Beekeeping in South Africa (1983) 1983
7 Aston & Bucknall Plants and honey bees - their relationships (2004) 2004
8 BBC Honey harvesters of the Himalayas (VHS tape 25 mins) (unknown date)
9 BIBBA Locke Park 1988 - Queen rearing (1988)(VHS tape of BIBBA Event) 1988
10 BIBBA Seeds for Beekeepers, Conservationists and Gardeners 1993
11 Bielby W B Home Honey Production 1977
12 Bishop H Robbing the bees (2005) 2006
13 Brekelmans T Skep-making (2000) 2000
14 Brown R A simple two-queen system (1980) 1980
15 Brown Ron Beeswax 1981
16 Campion A Bees at the bottom of the garden 2001
17 Chapman R How to Make an Open Mesh Floor with removable Tray post 1992
18 Clark B A beekeeping glossary (1993) 1993
19 Clark K K Beekeeping (1951) 1951
20 Cooper B A The honeybees of the British Isles (1986) 1986
22 Couston R Principles of practical beekeeping (1990) 1990
23 Cowan T W The British bee-keepers guide book (1924) 1924 (1881)
24 Crane E The Archaeology of Beekeeping 1983
25 Crane E Honey - a comprehensive survey (1979) 1979
26 Cumming & Logan Beekeeping - craft and hobby (1950) 1950
28 Dade H A Anatomy & dissection of the honeybee (1977) 1977(1962)
30 De Bruyn C Practical beekeeping 1997
31 Digges J G The practical bee guide (1943) 1943
33 Dunning J M The key of the hive (1945) 1945
34 Edwardes T The bee-master of Warrilow (1983) 1983
35 Edwardes T Bee-keeping for all (1941) 1941 (1923)
36 Evans J The complete guide to beekeeping (2005) 2005
37 Fabre J H Bramble - Bees & Others 1915
40 Field O Honey by the ton (1983) 1983
41 Flower A S Beekeeping up to date (1925) 1925
42 Foster A M Bee boles and bee houses (1988) 1988
43 Francis & Gontier The book of honey (1981) 1981
44 Frankland A W Bee sting allergy (1976) 1976
45 Furness C How to make beeswax candles (?1985) 1985
46 Galton D Survey of a thousand years of beekeeping in Russia 1971
47 Gamble R Bee keeping (1950) 1950
48 Gowing E Travels in blood and honey (2011) 2011
50 Grout R A ed. The hive and the honey bee (1963) 1963
51 Hamilton W The art of bee-keeping (1945) 1945
54 Hardy S Pocket Pollen Colour Guide  
55 Hattee C Yorkshire spring field day - 2007(photograph album) 2007
56 Heath L A case of hives (1985) 1985
57 Herrod W Producing, preparing, exhibiting and judging bee produce (1912) 1912
58 Herrod-Hempsall W The bee-keeper’s guide (1942) 1942
59 Herrod-Hempsall W (1930) Bee-keeping new and old - described with pen and camera Vol I 1930
60 Herrod-Hempsall W (1937) Bee-keeping new and old - described with pen and camera Vol II 1937
61 Hodges D The pollen loads of the honey bee (1984) 1984
62 Hodges D A Calendar of Bee Plants 1978
63 Hooper T Guide to Bees & Honey 2010
66 Howes FN Plants and Beekeeping 1979
67 I.B.R.A. Pollen and its harvesting (1976)(booklet) 1976
68 Imhoof M More than honey (2012) (DVD) 2012
69 James E L B Bee-keeping for beginners and others (1950) 1950
70 Johansson & Johansson Feeding honeybees pollen and pollen substitutes (1977) 1977
71 Killion E E Honey in the Comb (1981) 1981
72 Laidlaw & Eckert Queen rearing (1962) 1962
73 Laidlaw H H Instrumental insemination of honey bee queens (1989) 1989
74 Mace H The bee-keeper’s handbook (1952) 1952
75 Mace H Bee farming in Britain (1936) 1936
76 Mace H Bee disease and their treatment 1944
77 Macfie D T Practical beekeeping & honey production (?1935) 1935
78 Maeterlink M The life of the bee (1916) 1916
80 Melzer W Beekeeping - a complete owner’s manual (1989) 1989
81 Meyer Owen Microscopy on a Shoestring 1984
82 Middleditch A Chain Bridge Honey Farm - beekeeping notes (?1985) (Booklet) 1985
83 Mobus & Connor The varroa handbook - biology and control (1988) 1988
84 Mobus B & de Bruyn C The new varroa handbook (1993) 1993
85 More D The bee book - the history and natural history of the honeybee 1976
86 Morse & Hooper The illustrated encyclopedia of beekeeping (1985) 1985
87 Morse R A ed. Honey bee pests, predators and diseases (1980) 1980
88 O'Toole C The Red Mason Bee 2000
89 Padmore F Wax for show (undated - ? late 1970s) 1970s
90 Patterson R Beekeeping a Practical Guide 2012
91 Pavord A V Bees and beekeeping (1975) 1975
92 Prys-Jones & Corbet Bumblebees 1987
93 Ribbands R The behaviour and social life of honeybees (1953) 1953
94 Rice N V Queen’s land (1946) 1946
95 Richards A Beekeeping for beginners (1991) 1991
97 Robson W S Production and exhibition of comb honey (?late 1970s) (Booklet) 1970s
99 Root A I ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture 1990
100 Rounce J Honey - from source to sale and show bench (1990) 1990
101 Ruttner F Breeding Techniques and Selection for Breeding of the Honeybee 1988
102 Ruttner, Millner & Dews The Dark European Honey Bee 1990
103 Sawyer R Pollen identification for beekeepers (1981) 1981
104 Schacker M A spring without bees (2008) 2008
106 Schofield A N Teach Yourself Bee-keeping (1964) 1964 - 1st edit 1943
108 Scott A A murmur of bees (1980) 1980
109 Sentinella G Dancing with bees (2005) (DVD) 2005
110 Simmins S A Modern Beefarm 1914
111 Sims D Sixty years with bees (1997) 1997
114 Skilling R N H Sixty years with smoker and veil 1991
115 Sladen F W L The humble-bee (1989) 1989 (1912)
116 Smailes R Raise your own queens - by the punched cell method (1977)(booklet) 1977
117 Smith D A Pepys into some early hives (1980) (booklet) 1980
118 Snelgrove L E Swarming - its control and prevention (1946) 1946
119 Snelgrove L E Queen Rearing 1981
121 Storch H At the Hive Entrance 1985
122 Stuart F S Bee-keeping practice (1945) 1945
123 Taber S Breeding Super Bees 1987
124 Taylor D The monk and the honeybee (1988) (VHS tape 90 minutes) 1988
125 Taylor R The joys of beekeeping (1984) 1984
126 Teale E W The golden throng (1946) 1946
128 Tonsley C Honey for health (1973) 1973
129 Tourneret E Bees around the world (2011) 2011
130 Turnbull B The Bad Beekeepers Club 2011
131 Unknown Varroa - a serious pest of bees: a major problem for beekeeping (VHS tape)  
132 Urquhart J Keeping honeybees (1978) 1978
133 Vernon F Beekeeping (1977) 1977
134 von Frisch K The dancing bees (1966) 1966
136 von Frisch K Bees: their vision, chemical senses and language (1983) 1983(1950)
137 Wadey H J Introducing bee-keeping (?1946) 1946
138 Watson J K Bee-keeping in Ireland (1981) 1981
139 Webb A Beekeeping for profit and pleasure (1947) 1947
140 Wedmore E B Successful bee-keeping (1946) 1946
141 Wedmore E B A manual of bee-keeping (1979) 1979 (1946)
142 White C N Pleasurable bee keeping (?1895) 1895
143 Wilson B The hive (2004) 2004
144 Yates J D Nudge nudge, hint hint (1992) 1992
145 Yates J D & Yates B D Beekeeping study notes (-modules 1-4) (1996) (Green book) 1996
146 Yates J D & Yates B D Beekeeping study notes (-modules 1-3) (2015) 2015
147 Yates J D & Yates B D Beekeeping study notes (-modules 1-4) (1996) (Green book) 1996
148 Yates J D & Yates B D Beekeeping study notes (-modules 5-8) (2013) 2013
149 Davis I & Cullum - Kenyon R The BBKA Guide To Beekeeping 2015
151 Adam Br Beekeeping at Buckfast Abbey 1975
154 Armitt J H Beekeeping for Recreation and Pleasure 1952
155 Yates J D & Yates B D Beekeeping Study Notes for the BBKA Microscopy Exam (Blue book) 2014
156 Yates J D & Yates B D Beekeeping Study Notes for the BBKA Cert. in Beekeeping Husbandry (Violet book) 2002
157 Yates J D & Yates B D Beekeeping Study Notes - Practical (Red book) 2004
158 Davis C The Honey Bee Inside Out 2011
159 Davis C The Honey Bee Around and About 2014
160 Frimston D & Smith D Beekeeping and the Law - Swarms and Neighbours 1993
161 Kirk W D J Pollen Identification Cards 2010
163 De Layens G. Keeping Bees in Horizontal Hives 1897
164 Stell Ian Understanding Bee Anatomy 2012
165 Waring C. & Waring A. Haynes Bee Manual 2011
166 Riches H. Mead Making, Exhibiting & Judging 2009
167 Tautz J. The Buzz About Bees, Biology of a super organism 2008
168 Maurer Bob Practical Microscopy for Beekeepers 2015
169 Erickson E.,Carlson S.&Garment A Scanning Electron Microscope Atlas of the Honey Bee 1986
171 Flottum K. The Honey Handbook 2009
172 Calder A. Oilseed Rape and Bees 1986
173 Copinger I. Heather Honey An Anthology of Works 2016
174 Whitaker J. The Ethics of Beekeeping 2018
175 Shaw W. Comb Management 2018
176 Hesbach W. Splits and Varroa 2016
178 Benjamin A. & McCallum B. Keeping Bees And Making Honey 2008
179 Fox O. Do/ Beekeeping 2015
180 Heaf D. Treatment Free Beekeeping 2020
181 Maslin W. / BBKA Pagden, Baily Comb, Shook Swarm Training Cards 2020
182 BBKA Special Issue Series Flower Families for Forage (Magazine) 2017
183 BBKA Special Issue Series In the Apiary- A Month by Month Guide (Magazine) 2017
184 BBKA Special Issue Series Feeding Honey Bees (Magazine) 2017
185 BBKA Special Issue Series Honey Bee Anatomy (Magazine) 2016
186 BBKA Special Issue Series General Husbandry (Magazine) 2017
187 BBKA Special Issue Series Advanced Husbandry (Magazine) 2018
188 Patterson R Beekeeping: Challenge what you are told 2021
189 BBKA Archive Film of beekeeping (Memory Stick) 2018
190 BBKA Intro to Beekeeping and Improvers & Basic Asseement Training Course (Memory Stick) 2020