A Manual of Beekeeping

C. de Ribeaucourt - read 2003 and for ideas
A Manual of Rational Beekeeping

This book was first published in 1877. It is mainly to do with the beekeeping in Switzerland. It was translated by Arthur F.G Leveson Gower, a fellow member of the BBKA. At this time beekeeping was having "modern" industrial principles applied to the subject of Bee keeping. No longer was the use of skeps and the inability to manage Bees for Honey production to be allowed to continue. In 1876 the book laments the previous three years as poor years for bees suggesting a re-think in the ways Bees are managed for a crop. The "rational" approach is a hive of wood into which the Bee master can access the brood to mange his Bees. This pretty much is the mechanism of removable frames seen in modern hives, albeit with differing sizes.

Switzerland has special climatic conditions that do not prevail in the British Isles however there are parallels and lessons. We might have to consider them as the climate changes in the UK.

I found it interesting as a bee keeper. The language was interesting too.