Queen bee. Worker bees. Busy as a bee. These phrases have shaped perceptions of women for centuries, but how did these stereotypes begin? Who are the women who keep bees and what can we learn from them? Beeconomy examines the fascinating evolution of the relationship between women and bees around the world. From Africa to Australia to Asia, women have participated in the pragmatic aspects of honey hunting and in the more advanced skills associated with beekeeping as hive technology has advanced through the centuries. Synthesizing the various aspects of hive-related products, such as beewax and cosmetics, as well as the more specialized skills of queen production and knowledge-based economies of research and science, noted bee expert Tammy Horn documents how and why women should consider being beekeepers. The women profiled in the book suggest ways of managing careers, gender discrimination, motherhood, marriage, and single-parenting—all while enjoying the community created by women who work with honey bees. Horn finds in beekeeping an opportunity for a new sustainable economy, one that takes into consideration environment, children, and family needs. Beeconomy not only explores globalization, food history, gender studies, and politics; it is a collective call to action.

“The most lucid call to action ever written about land-based beekeeping” from the author of The Backyard Beekeeper (Tammy Horn, author of Bees in America and Beeconomy). Backyard beekeepers everywhere agree: a successful colony is a thing of beauty. Thousands of beekeepers have started beekeeping thanks to Kim Flottum’s first book, The Backyard Beekeeper, and they have added to their repertoire of skills with The Backyard Beekeeper’s Honey Handbook. Now, Better Beekeeping answers the question, “What do I do now that I’m a beekeeper?” This book takes serious beekeepers past the beginning stages and learning curves and offers solutions and rewards for keeping bees a better way. Better queens, better winters, better food, and better bees await any beekeeper willing to take on the challenge of having the right number of bees, of the right age, in the right place, in the right condition, at the right time. “There are numerous beekeeping books on the shelves that instruct on ‘how to,’ but Better Beekeeping is a book that explores ‘why to,’ which is essential for this ever-changing world of beekeeping today.” —Jennifer Berry, research coordinator at the University of Georgia’s Honey Bee Research Lab, commercial queen, and columnist for Bee Culture magazine

Includes summarized reports of many bee-keeper associations.