📄 Digital PDF book · read on your phone or print

Open your first hive and know what you're seeing. every frame, read at a glance

The colony, the gear, a package or a nuc, the inspection, reading brood and queen cells, varroa counts and your first honey harvest. A big drawing first, then a few lines and the numbers you need for that step in the bee yard. 68 pages in 9 parts.

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How it's made

Built so you can find it in seconds

  1. 1Each topic drawn, with the note box right beside it
  2. 268 pages in 9 parts, one topic per page
  3. 3Sources: USDA ARS, Cooperative Extension guides and the Honey Bee Health Coalition
A different way to learn

What changes when every part of the hive gets its own page

The same topic, explained two ways.

A text manual
  • You read a list of hive parts and can't picture half of them.
  • You copy the box order from a forum post.
  • You ask at the club meeting which box goes where.
Stand to outer cover: the 8 parts of a Langstroth hive and what each one does
This book
  • One drawing of the hive, stand to outer cover, every part labeled.
  • The 8 parts in the order you stack them, bottom to top.
  • Each part drawn in place, with one line on what it does.
Inside

January, the Supplier's Order Page Open, and a Choice You Can't Make

It's January and your local bee supplier has spring pickup dates up. A 3-lb package or a 5-frame nuc: you have to pick one before you click order.

So you open the forums. One thread says packages are cheaper and simpler, another says a nuc is the only sane start for a beginner. You end up choosing by the last video you watched.

In the book, the choice is one page. The package and the nuc sit side by side: a package is about 10,000 to 12,000 bees and a caged queen, no comb; a nuc is drawn comb, brood and a laying queen.

The rest works the same way: the eight parts of the hive, when to open it, eggs and varroa, when the honey is ready. Each one has its own page.

You know what's in the box before your bees are in the car.

3-lb package: about 10,000–12,000 bees and a caged queen, no comb. Nuc: comb, brood, laying queen.
Real pages

A look inside the pages

One big drawing per page, with a box of what to remember.

Queen, worker, drone side by side: about 30,000–60,000 workers at the summer peak
Queen, worker, drone side by side: about 30,000–60,000 workers at the summer peak
Stand to outer cover: the 8 parts of a Langstroth hive and what each one does
Stand to outer cover: the 8 parts of a Langstroth hive and what each one does
3-lb package: about 10,000–12,000 bees and a caged queen, no comb. Nuc: comb, brood, laying queen.
3-lb package: about 10,000–12,000 bees and a caged queen, no comb. Nuc: comb, brood, laying queen.
Calm day, 55°F or above, about every 2 weeks; weekly queen-cell checks in swarm season.
Calm day, 55°F or above, about every 2 weeks; weekly queen-cell checks in swarm season.
One egg per cell, upright like a rice grain: the proof the queen was there.
One egg per cell, upright like a rice grain: the proof the queen was there.
Three climate bands, one rule: local bloom and your Extension office set the dates.
Three climate bands, one rule: local bloom and your Extension office set the dates.
Varroa: a reddish-brown oval that breeds under brood caps and spreads viruses.
Varroa: a reddish-brown oval that breeds under brood caps and spreads viruses.
Extract at about 95% capped; above 18.6% moisture, honey can't be USDA Grade A or B.
Extract at about 95% capped; above 18.6% moisture, honey can't be USDA Grade A or B.

These are real pages from the book. The table of contents is the full one: 9 parts and 64 topics.

Contents

The 9 parts, in order

  1. 1

    The Colony

    Who lives in the hive, what the queen, workers and drones do, the 16-21-24 day development clock, how a frame is organized and bee space.

  2. 2

    The Gear

    The Langstroth hive bottom to top, deep, medium and shallow boxes, frames and foundation, 8- or 10-frame, protective gear, lighting the smoker, small tools and where to put the hive.

  3. 3

    The Bees Arrive

    Package or nuc, registering with your state, installing a package and a nuc, the queen cage, 1:1 syrup and the first 6 weeks.

  4. 4

    The Inspection

    When to open, the order of moves, pulling and holding a frame, the 5 questions of every inspection, the bees' mood, closing up, hive records and stings.

  5. 5

    Reading the Frames

    Eggs, larvae, good and spotty capped brood, honey, nectar and pollen, queen cells, queenless signs, laying workers and queen marking colors.

  6. 6

    The Seasons

    How your region shifts the calendar, spring buildup, swarm season, adding a super, summer dearth and robbing, the mite window, fall stores and the winter cluster.

  7. 7

    Pests and Problems

    Varroa, alcohol wash and sugar roll, the action threshold, treatment classes and the label, viral signs, foulbrood, other brood diseases, beetles, wax moth and larger pests.

  8. 8

    The Harvest

    When honey is ready, clearing bees off the supers, extracting or crush and strain, storing honey and labeling a jar.

  9. 9

    Review: Before You Open the Hive

    The most often reported first-year mistakes, the frame in one view, the numbers to keep at hand and who to call when something looks urgent.

At the end of the book: A review section with the frame in one view, the key numbers and who to call when something looks urgent

Price US$ 27 US$ 63

I want the PDF book
Easy to mix up

Spot the mistake before it costs you

Every page ends with the mix-up that trips people up.

WHO LIVES IN A HIVE?
p. 5 · WHO LIVES IN A HIVE?EASY TO MIX UP

Every worker is female. The only males in the hive are the drones.

PACKAGE OR NUC?
p. 20 · PACKAGE OR NUC?EASY TO MIX UP

Package = bees and a caged queen only. Nuc = a working colony with brood and comb.

Added value

The book, plus 2 free bonuses

Free with your book today.

Bonus 1Hive Inspection Checklist

«Hive Inspection Checklist»

Covers the whole inspection in order, from lighting the smoker to closing the lid, so you can print it, keep it by the hive and not skip a step with the frames out.

US$ 17.90 FREE
Bonus 2Beekeeper Year Calendar

«Beekeeper Year Calendar»

Shows what each month asks of you at a glance, printable, so you can see what's coming before the bees need it.

US$ 14.90 FREE

Beekeeping: Your First Hive + 2 bonus books

  • Beekeeping: Your First Hive: 68 pages in 9 partsUS$ 63
  • Bonus 1: «Hive Inspection Checklist»US$ 17.90
  • Bonus 2: «Beekeeper Year Calendar»US$ 14.90
  • High-resolution PDF to printIncluded
Total value US$ 95.80US$ 27You save US$ 68.80
I want Beekeeping: Your First Hive for US$ 27

📄 This is a digital PDF book sent to your email: nothing is printed or shipped.

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PDF by email: We email you Beekeeping: Your First Hive as a PDF, together with the two free books. It's a single payment: no installments, no extra charges.

30DAYS

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You pay once. No subscriptions.

Who it's for

Is it for you?

Pick the one that sounds like you.

You're just getting started

You're just getting started

You get to know the colony before the bees arrive: who the queen, workers and drones are, and whether a package or a nuc fits your first spring.

You have bees, but you're winging it

You have bees, but you're winging it

Every inspection follows the same 5 questions, Part V shows healthy capped brood next to a spotty pattern, and Part VI walks you through the late-summer mite count, fall stores and the winter cluster.

You help new beekeepers at your club

You help new beekeepers at your club

You can hand a newcomer one reference: the frame in one view and the numbers to keep at hand, each tied to Extension and USDA sources.

Questions

What people ask most

Quick answers before you decide.

Is it for me if I've never opened a hive, or if I already have bees?

Both. The early parts start from zero. If your colony is already installed, Parts IV to VII cover the inspection, reading frames, the seasons and pests, which is where most first-year questions come up.

How do I get the book?

The book and the 2 bonuses come as PDF files by email.

Is it a one-time payment?

Yes. You pay once, with no subscription and no recurring charges.

Can I print it and take it out to the hive?

Yes. It's a PDF, so you can print the whole book or just the pages you need. The inspection checklist and the year calendar are laid out to be printed.

Does it work for my state and my climate?

How the colony works is the same everywhere. What changes with your region, like swarm season, winter or registration, is marked on the page and set out in three climate bands. For your exact dates and rules, the book points you to your county Extension office and your state apiary program.

I already have a beekeeping book and watch YouTube. What does this add?

It follows the order you'll meet things in the bee yard, from lighting the smoker to the harvest, with the number you need for each step in a box under the drawing. It's meant to sit open next to the hive, not replace what you've already read.

Does it replace a class, a mentor or my state inspector?

No. It's illustrated study material and it doesn't replace a beekeeping course, a mentor or your state apiary inspector. For any treatment, the product label is the law.

Where does the content come from?

USDA ARS, land-grant Cooperative Extension guides, the Honey Bee Health Coalition's varroa tools, state apiary programs and EPA treatment labels.

How does the refund work?

You have 30 days. We refund everything if the file won't open, if the book isn't what you see on this page, if you were charged twice or if the email doesn't arrive: just email us.

It's a PDF: read it on screen or print it

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