Keep healthy, productive bees without chemicals, stress, or constant intervention. Master beekeeper reveals natural methods that work with bee biology instead of against it, producing more honey with less work while building stronger, disease-resistant colonies. Why Chemical-Free Beekeeping Works Better: Conventional beekeeping relies on treatments that weaken bee immunity and create dependency. This natural approach strengthens hives from within, resulting in healthier bees, better honey yields, and dramatically reduced colony losses. What You'll Master Natural hive management - work with bee instincts rather than fighting them  Chemical-free disease prevention - build immunity through nutrition and environment Stress-free seasonal care - minimal intervention techniques that bees prefer  Honey harvesting ethics - take surplus while ensuring winter survival Problem diagnosis - read bee behavior to prevent issues before they start Results You Can Expect: Beekeepers using these methods report 90% lower colony losses, 40% higher honey yields, and 75% less time spent on hive maintenance compared to conventional chemical-dependent approaches. Transform beekeeping from constant worry to joyful partnership with nature. Your bees (and your harvest) will thank you.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Foreword— The Bee Book That Makes Sense: A Roadmap to Natural Beekeeping Part I: A Path to Natural Apiculture A Brief Introduction How It All Got Started A Small Side Note The Industrial and Natural Approaches The Bee Colony's Intelligence The Goals of This Book The Tree Hollow as the Bees' Natural Home Some Useful Facts about Comb The Bee Colony's Developmental Cycle A Year in the Life of a Bee Colony A Word or Two on Wintering The Ideal Comb: How Deep Is Deep Enough? Winter Ventilation of the Beehive Bee Races The European Dark Bee Bee Diseases Symbiosis in Nature (A Philosophical Digression) Bees and Their Enemies A Bit of History The History of the Frame Modern Systems of Industrial Beekeeping Bees in the Industrial Hive A Word or Two about Swarming "Little to Smile About" Is There a Way Out? The History of Horizontal Hives with Extra-Deep Frames The Modern Horizontal Hive The Horizontal Hive with Extra-Deep Frames Using the Extra-Deep Frame Part II: The Practice of Natural Apiculture A Description of the Horizontal Hive with 25 Extra-Deep Frames How to Keep Bees in a Horizontal Hive with Extra-Deep Frames The Central Commandments of Natural Beekeeping A Beekeeper's Tasks in Spring and Summer Fall Procedures: Pulling Honey and Preparing for Winter How to Make Extra-Deep Frames Brushstrokes How to Capture a Swarm in a Swarm Trap Responsibility Questions and Answers Epilogue to Parts I and II Part III: The Finer Points of Natural Beekeeping Three Years Later Principles of Natural Beekeeping Revisited The Recipe for Success in Beekeeping Nectar Resources Bee Race and Colony Strength On the Mean Bees The Queen The Vital Rhythms of a Bee Colony The Death of Bee Colonies Various Approaches to Natural Beekeeping More on Supersedure Swarming How to Collect a Swarm The Hive Entrance Spring Inspection of Bee Colonies Spring Buildup of Bee Colonies Preparing for the Main Honeyflow The Main Honeyflow and the Second Half of Summer Pulling Honey and Preparing for Winter Questions and Answers Part IV: How Bee Colonies Winter, And How to Make Wintering as Successful as Possible Introduction The Facts: What You Must Know about the Wintering Process of an Individual Bee and of the Colony as a Whole The Colony's Main Job During the Winter The Thermal Physics of a Wintering Colony Bee Respiration in the Winter Cluster The Role of Water in the Wintering Process The Search for the Ideal Home for a Bee Colony The Physiological Condition of a Colony as It Enters the Winter Period Winter Reserves The Location of Winter Reserves The European Dark Bee Wintering Indoors Conclusions to Part IV Afterword Afterword to the Second Edition: Natural Beekeeping Accessible to All Appendix 1: How to Make Swarm Traps and Capture Swarms Appendix 2: How to Produce, Install, and Unite Swarms Appendix 3: Nucs: What to Expect and How to Handle Them Appendix 4: Operations Throughout the Year Appendix 5: How to Build a Horizontal Hive with Extra-Deep Frames (Version 1) Appendix 6: How to Build a Horizontal Hive with Extra-Deep Frames (Version 2) Appendix 7: Lazutin Hive Plans (US Version 4— New) Appendix 8: Summary Handouts Glossary Index About the Author / Editor About New Society Publishers