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The Barefoot Beekeeper

The Barefoot Beekeeper is a revolutionary book about 'sustainable', chemical-free beekeeping, showing how it can be simplified and made accessible to all, including people with disabilities, as with this method there is no heavy lifting involved.

The author strips away all unnecessary complication and confusion, demonstrating that 'modern' beekeeping methods are largely to blame for the poor state of health of the honeybee and that the commercialization of beekeeping marked the start of the disease and parasite problems that honeybees have been trying to deal with ever since.

The author advocates small-scale, sustainable beekeeping, with minimal disturbance to the bees and more time spent observing and learning from them. This book shows how you can make everything you need to keep bees yourself, using recycled materials and simple tools: you do not need to buy any additional equipment at all, nor do you need synthetic medications or other chemicals.

This is the companion volume to 'How To Build a Top Bar Hive', which is available as a free, downloadable supplement to The Barefoot Beekeeper.

Some recent comments about The Barefoot Beekeeper:

"The Barefoot Beekeeper is the best book out there as far as I'm concerned for those interested in pursuing sustainable beekeeping." Marty Hardison, USA

"I had been a traditional type beekeeper since the mide 1980's and had been looking around for another way to keep bees as I felt that the ways we were keeping them was neither good for the bees nor the beekeeper. After reading The Barefoot Beekeeper I knew immediately I had found what I had been thinking about and searching for for years. It inspired me to immediately build several Top Bar hives and change my manner of keeping bees. ... read as much as you can about bees and beekeeping but do buy this one and follow it's suggested path." N, Spain

"I have been using and promoting topbar hives for 30 years now. The shape of the topbar hive that I use is a little different ...but I am in full accord with the principles that he outlines. There are a lot of options out there... The Barefoot Beekeeper is the best book out there as far as I'm concerned for those interested in pursuing sustainable beekeeping." MH, USA

"Inspired by this thread, I bought and read the book yesterday. It's a very helpful primer on the main issues and a VERY inspiring discussion of sustainable beekeeping. Some good history and background, as well."

"I also think as an argument for sustainable beekeeping, the writing is unparalleled." G, UK

Free beekeeping articles

• How To Start Beekeeping For Free by P J Chandler (free PDF)


• Introduction to The Barefoot Beekeeper by P J Chandler (free PDF)


• How To Build a Top Bar Hive - free, downloadable ebook that gives detailed, fully-illustrated, step-by-step instructions for building the top bar hive described in The Barefoot Beekeeper. (This is the PDF version - see top menu for other download options.)


• So you want to keep bees? Introductory article for new and prospective beekeepers


• Towards Sustainable Beekeeping - articles that appeared in the 2007 Beekeeper's Annual and in Beekeeper's Quarterly


• What is wrong with modern beekeeping?


• Would you like to do something simple to help save the bees? Download, copy and distribute this free leaflet now (UK/A4 version).
  click here for US Letter version)

Friends of the Bees - Home of the Natural Beekeeping Network