Meredith May

A comprehensive guide on establishing and maintaining beehives Beekeeping is a popular pastime that more and more people are taking up for fun or even modest profit. Today, you will find hives not only in large fields or rural spaces, but also in city gardens and on rooftops--to the benefit of both bee and beekeeper. If you're at the early or middle stages of your beekeeping journey and need a go-to guide on establishing and maintaining your hives, The Beekeeper's Guide is the perfect companion. It offers invaluable information about a wide range of bee species and their life cycle, behavior, and optimal habitat, and covers the practicalities of beekeeping, from personal safety and hive hygiene to feeding methods and record keeping. Complete with an extensive troubleshooting section and a directory of useful resources, The Beekeeper's Guide is a comprehensive tool for all beekeepers.

By the author of the award-winning memoir The Honey Bus, a bittersweet picture book about a lonesome and fearful girl who finds herself at home with her grandfather and his honeybees Living with grandpa and his thousands of honeybees, a girl learns to overcome her fears of getting stung, how to spin comb, and that honey tastes sweet and sometimes bitter, like love. Sometimes family is whom you find yourself in a hive with. Inspired by the author’s experience of moving in with her grandparents as a child, My Hive resonates gently with themes of alternative families, generational wisdom and connection, facing one’s fears, and finding one’s home in the unlikeliest of places.

Beekeeping is a popular past time that more and more people are turning to for personal enjoyment, or even small commercial gain. Today you will find hives in backyards, gardens, and on rooftops, benefiting both the bee and the keeper. For those who have begun their beekeeping journey and need a go-to pocket guide on establishing and maintaining their hives, The Beekeeper’s Field Guide is the perfect book. Not only will readers learn about a wide range of bee species and their life cycle, behaviour, and preferred plants, but readers will also be informed about the practicalities of beekeeping, from personal safety and hygiene to record keeping and legal requirements. With an extensive troubleshooting section that debunks myths, and includes explanations and solutions for “bad” bee behavior, diseases, and pests, The Beekeeper’s Field Guide is a handy-sized yet comprehensive tool for all keen and established beekeepers. Contents: Introduction – 6A Guide to Honeybees and the Hive – 14Beekeeping Tasks and Equipment – 64Responsible Beekeeping – 144Troubleshooting – 212Resources and Suppliers – 278

The Honey Bus: A Girl Raised by Bees is a memoir about a girl’s journey into the heart of a beehive to find herself. When she was five years old, Meredith May was abandoned by both parents. Her father left for the other side of the country. Her mother disappeared into herself. But when Meredith discovered the rusted old bus where her grandpa kept bees, her world changed forever. Family duty. Compassion and sacrifice. Unconditional love. The life of a honeybee displays it all. As her grandpa showed her the sacrifices bees make for their colony and the bonds they form with their keeper, Meredith discovered what family really means. A rich and lyrical coming-of-age story, combined with spellbinding nature writing, The Honey Bus is the extraordinary story of a girl who journeyed into the hive – and found herself.

An unforgettable story about finding home in the most unusual of places, and how a tiny, little-understood insect could save a life. Meredith May recalls the first time a honeybee crawled on her arm. She was five years old, her parents had recently split and suddenly she found herself in the care of her grandfather, an eccentric beekeeper who made honey in a rusty old military bus in the yard. That first close encounter was at once terrifying and exhilarating for May. Everything she needed to know about life and family was right before her eyes, in the secret world of bees. May turned to her grandfather and the art of beekeeping as an escape from her troubled reality. The bees became a guiding force in May's life, teaching her about family and survival, and it was during this pivotal time in May's childhood that she learned to take care of herself. Part family story, part beekeeping odyssey, The Honey Bus is a rich and lyrical memoir of a girl who journeyed into the hive--and found herself.

An extraordinary story of a girl, her grandfather and one of nature's most mysterious and beguiling creatures: the honeybee. Meredith May recalls the first time a honeybee crawled on her arm. She was five years old, her parents had recently split and suddenly she found herself in the care of her grandfather, an eccentric beekeeper who made honey in a rusty old military bus in the yard. That first close encounter was at once terrifying and exhilarating for May, and in that moment she discovered that everything she needed to know about life and family was right before her eyes, in the secret world of bees.May turned to her grandfather and the art of beekeeping as an escape from her troubled reality. Her mother had receded into a volatile cycle of neurosis and despair and spent most days locked away in the bedroom. It was during this pivotal time in May's childhood that she learned to take care of herself, forged an unbreakable bond with her grandfather and opened her eyes to the magic and wisdom of nature.The bees became a guiding force in May's life, teaching her about family and community, loyalty and survival, and the unequivocal relationship between a mother and her child. Part memoir, part beekeeping odyssey, The Honey Bus is an unforgettable story about finding home in the most unusual of places and how a tiny, little-understood insect could save a life.