There is a wealth of information on beekeeping on the internet. Many new beekeepers, like myself a few years back, take in all information as given. Little do we know that there is also a lot of misinformation out there. A new beekeeper usually can’t separate information from misinformation. From the hard lessons I learned over the years, I firmly believe a new beekeeper must have a sound foundation of knowledge to be a good beekeeper.
I have read many beekeeping blogs and watched a lot of Youtube videos. Many bloggers and youtubers will just share with the rest of us what they did without explaining why they did what did. A lot of youtubers will also just show us the beginning of a trial without any update. These blogs and videos are not that useful.
Over the last couple of years, I have evaluated many blogs and Youtube channels. Here I recommend one blog and two Youtube channels that will definitely make you a better beekeeper. This recommendation comes from me, an experienced beginner, to you, a brand new beginner. You can still get a lot out of these videos and blogs, even if you are an experienced beekeeper.
The beekeeping blog that every beekeeper can benefit from is Honey Bee Suite, a place for bees, wild, native and managed. This blog is maintained by Rusty Berlew, a master beekeeper, in the Pacific Northwest. Rusty is a great writer. She uses common sense and a scientific approach to keeping bees. She explains every topic in easy-to-understand English. One does not have to agree with everything in her blog, but one can surely learn a lot from her beekeeping experience and knowledge.
The first Youtube channel that is highly recommended is the National Honey Show. The National Honey Show is the Britain's premier honey show with lectures and workshops. They have had the show 90 times and are having the 91st show in 2022. World famous beekeeping experts from all over the world have been invited to give lectures on a wide range of beekeeping topics, including bee biology, bee nutrition and queen rearing. They have uploaded many recorded lectures to Youtube. Some of these lectures are a little on the academic side. But if I can understand, enjoy and learn, so can you. Watch all lectures a couple of times and understand everything the lecturers said. And when you are done, you will feel like you have obtained an associate degree in beekeeping.
The second Youtube channel that I recommend is the channel by the University of Guelph Honey Bee Research Centre. In these videos, research staff and faculty at the Honey Bee Research Centre demonstrate how they keep honey bees in Canada. You can learn a great deal of practical beekeeping skills from these videos. This Youtube channel is particularly useful for beekeepers in northern US, Canada and other regions in the northern climate. Paul Kelly, the research and apiary manager at the Research Center, is their main presenter. Paul is a great teacher. Every student would get an A if Paul were to teach a beekeeping class in a university.
There are of course a lot more great beekeeping blogs and channels. But the three I recommend are the cream of the crop in my opinion. They are great resources for all beekeepers, especially the beginning beekeepers. Trust me, you will become a much better beekeeper following my recommendation.
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【One blog and 2 Youtube channels that will make you a better beekeeper】
Honey Bee Suite
The National Honey Show
The University of Guelph Honey Bee Research Centre
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