Whether you’re an armchair enthusiast or a full-fledged beekeeper, there’s a ton of great reading material in print and online. Here’s a summary of our favourite resources:
Books
Clan Apis by Jay Hosler. A science book about bees in an engaging graphic novel format that should appeal to the 9+ crowd (but good for adults too)
Sweetness & Light by Hattie Ellis. A good overview of bees and beekeeping for an intelligent non-beekeeper audience. This isn’t a how-to guide, but instead a fairly wide ranging history of honeybees and interactions with people. Told from a primarily British perspective, but with universal appeal.-
Robbing the Bees by Holley Bishop. Very similar in focus to Sweetness and Light, but told by an American, with interspersed chapters following a commercial beekeeper in Florida. -
A Book of Bees by Sue Hubbell. Still not a hands on guide, but much more detailed story of beekeeping — more of a day in the life of a beekeeper. Should be on an aspiring beekeeper’s reading list. 
The Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum. A good introductory beekeeping guide by the editor of Bee Culture magazine.
The Beekeeper’s Handbook by Diana Sammataro, Alphonse Avitabile and Dewey M. Caron (Fourth edition) Good, all around text book, fairly up to date.
Natural Beekeeping by Ross Conrad.
Online Resources
- Randy Oliver’s Scientific Beekeeping
- Michael Bush: Beekeeping Naturally
- Fat Bees, Skinny Bees: A Manual on Honeybee Nutrition for Beekeepers (pdf)
- Beesource Beekeeping Forums
- Bee Culture Magazine
- American Bee Journal
- Canada Agriculture Museum – Virtual Bee Exhibit
