From A to Bee By James Dearsley [PDF, ePub, Mobi]

Taken from his popular blog, the Surrey Beekeeper, James Dearsley presents the first personal, accessible account of the experience of learning how to harvest bees.

Beekeeping... oh my... what have I done? I am 30 years old, I have been married for three years and am a new father to a fantastic little boy. Surely there are things that I should be doing at this age which do not involve little yellow and black insects that can hurt you if you are remotely clumsy (which at 6ft 5, I have an amazing ability to be).

James Dearsley's wife thought he had lost his mind when he announced his intention to become a beekeeper. But like many interested in the self-sufficient lifestyle, he loved gardening and growing vegetables in his garden and the old romantic in him had idealistic notions of teaching his little boy where honey came from, so he set himself what seemed a reasonable goal: to get, in a year's time, just one jar of honey.

"A.k.a. The Surrey Beekeeper, Dearsley started the Beginner Beekeeper's page on Facebook - now the biggest online community of beekeepers - and has also released a beekeeping DVD."
--The Bookseller

"James Dearsley's engaging exploration of the mysteries of beekeeping will ensure you'll never look at a bee the same way again."
--Kay Sexton, author of Minding My Peas and Cucumbers

"An endearing and amusing personal account of one man's immersion into the magical world of beekeeping."
--Anna Nicholas, author of A Lizard in My Luggage

"James offers us an entertainingly jolly, extremely readably account of all the trials and tribulations of becoming an English beekeeper... James is fearless in poking fun at himself... It is quite touching how completely absorbed he becomes in the bees."
Adventures in beeland Featured in The Lady, August 2012. The Lady

James Dearsley is also known as the Surrey Beekeeper and writes for a variety of publications including Mother Earth News, Grow Your Own Magazine, and the Ecologist.