Beekeeping in Coastal California

Beekeeping in Coastal California by Jeremy R. Rose. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780984435715.

Beekeeping in Coastal California contains 176 pages printed in full color, and has over 200 high-resolution color photographs. The information in this book is applicable to beekeepers from Baja, Mexico all the way north past the Oregon border. Most beekeeping literature is written based on a northern or eastern United States climate. However, much of beekeeping is completely different in coastal California due to the unique Mediterranean climate. This book describes some of the special aspects of managing honeybees on the California coast. Things like the summer marine layer fog, Africanized bees, unique rainfall patterns, and Varroa mite influx during the fall make beekeeping here a challenge. I address each of these topics and more in this book, explaining what they mean in terms of hive management. I also describe Varroa mite management methods that will control mites using only natural methods, including drone brood removal, mite resistant queen bees, and natural soft-chemical treatments when necessary. Everything in the book has been used and tested in real life in my own small commercial beekeeping operation. The main strengths of the book are the twelve tutorial chapters, one for every month, describing exactly what is typically happening with the hives during that time. Each chapter lists the common forage that is available, as well as common problems that will prevent the hives from thriving and the solutions to those problems.