Raising Resilient Bees

Raising Resilient Bees
Author: Eric McEwen
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
Total Pages: 319
Release: 2023-07-20
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1645021955

"Right from the start, this book takes you on a journey that is fascinating and thought-provoking. . . The McEwens demonstrate creative, out-of-the-box thinking and challenge traditional ways of keeping bees."—American Bee Journal With over 100 color photographs and illustrations, Raising Resilient Bees is the comprehensive source for new and experienced beekeepers, offering a sustainable, natural, and repeatable model of care for hive health and production. Global pests and diseases present an unprecedented challenge for the modern honey bee. Hobby and commercial beekeepers alike continue to experience troubling rates of mortality for their colonies, with potentially deleterious consequences for the stability of our wider ecosystems and overall food security. It is time for a global focus on restoring the health of the shared apiary through naturally reared, genetically diverse, and resilient lines of bees. Raising Resilient Bees establishes these parameters and provides guidance for new and experienced beekeepers alike to translate these goals into real practice, thereby safeguarding the honey bee from the unknown threats of the future. Authors Eric and Joy McEwen take two decades worth of beekeeping experience, experiments, and professional production to deliver groundbreaking methods in queen-rearing, varroa mite management, and Natural Nest hive design. Inside, you’ll discover: Revived and adapted heritage Integrated Pest Management techniques How to naturally rear queens and select for resilient, mite-resistant genetic lines without relying on swarming or grafting Key tenets of apicentric beekeeping Advice for establishing a flourishing and sustainable business with beekeeping at the center How to naturally rear bees with distinctive characteristics suitable to their locale As in large-scale agriculture, the trend toward genetic homogenization is having long-term implications for bees’ capacity to withstand diverse environmental stressors. With expert advice, enthusiasm, and easy-to-follow instructions, Raising Resilient Bees delivers important and timely information for every beekeeper to create a healthier future. “Vivid, practical, evidence-based . . . . Biodynamic and organic beekeepers will applaud the authors’ use of ‘natural nest hives’ with single-size boxes and vertically uninterrupted brood nests, populated with locally adapted bees and naturally reared queens.”—David Heaf, author of The Bee-Friendly Beekeeper; bee-friendly.co.uk “The McEwens look at every aspect of a honey bee’s life in this book—pest and disease issues, living space, the genetics of resistance and tolerance, qualities of successful queens, optimal feeding, and seasonal management that fits the bee above the beekeeper.”—Kim Flottum, author of The Backyard Beekeeper; podcast producer, Growing Planet Media

Raising Resilient Bees

Raising Resilient Bees
Author: Joy McEwen
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2023-07-20
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1645021947

With over 100 color photographs and illustrations, Raising Resilient Bees is the comprehensive source for new and experienced beekeepers, offering a sustainable, natural, and repeatable model of care for hive health and production. Global pests and diseases present an unprecedented challenge for the modern honey bee. Hobby and commercial beekeepers alike continue to experience troubling rates of mortality for their colonies, with potentially deleterious consequences for the stability of our wider ecosystems and overall food security. It is time for a global focus on restoring the health of the shared apiary through naturally reared, genetically diverse, and resilient lines of bees. Raising Resilient Bees establishes these parameters and provides guidance for new and experienced beekeepers alike to translate these goals into real practice, thereby safeguarding the honey bee from the unknown threats of the future. Authors Eric and Joy McEwen take two decades worth of beekeeping experience, experiments, and professional production to deliver groundbreaking methods in queen-rearing, varroa mite management, and Natural Nest hive design. Inside, you’ll discover: • Revived and adapted heritage Integrated Pest Management techniques • How to naturally rear queens and select for resilient, mite-resistant genetic lines without relying on swarming or grafting • Key tenets of apicentric beekeeping • Advice for establishing a flourishing and sustainable business with beekeeping at the center • How to naturally rear bees with distinctive characteristics suitable to their locale As in large-scale agriculture, the trend toward genetic homogenization is having long-term implications for bees’ capacity to withstand diverse environmental stressors. With expert advice, enthusiasm, and easy-to-follow instructions, Raising Resilient Bees delivers important and timely information for every beekeeper to create a healthier future.

The Resilient Farm and Homestead, Revised and Expanded Edition

The Resilient Farm and Homestead, Revised and Expanded Edition
Author: Ben Falk
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
Total Pages: 713
Release: 2024-02-08
Genre: House & Home
ISBN: 1645021114

“This is one of the most practical, down-to-earth, dirt-under-the-fingernails, comprehensive explanations of all things homesteading and small farming. Whether you’re just dreaming or an old hand, Ben Falk’s longer experience horizon is invaluable.”—Joel Salatin, cofounder, Polyface Farm; author of Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal Informed by twenty years of successful land management and the professional design experience of his pioneering firm Whole Systems Design, LLC, author Ben Falk updates his classic text and delivers the definitive twenty-first century systems thinking manual in self-reliance—sure to empower readers to prioritize projects, make positive lifestyle decisions, and take strategic steps toward a regenerative future. In The Resilient Farm and Homestead, Revised and Expanded Edition Falk describes how he has transformed a degraded hillside in the frigid Vermont climate into a thriving, biodiverse Eden that now provides year-round abundance for his family and community. First published in 2013, The Resilient Farm and Homestead is a comprehensive how-to guide for building durable and productive land-based systems through the reciprocal interplay of humans and the natural world. In the ten years since he first published this seminal work, Falk has deepened his wisdom in harnessing nature-based solutions for increasingly challenging times, including addressing severe climate disruptions like drought and flood conditions. The book covers every strategy Falk and his team have tested on the Whole Systems Research Farms over the past two decades and includes detailed information on earthworks, gravity-fed water systems, soil fertility management, growing nutrient-dense food and medicine, fuelwood production, agroforestry, managed grazing, and much more. Complete with full-color photography and detailed design drawings, The Resilient Farm and Homestead, Revised and Expanded Edition includes new information on: Designing greenhouses and microclimates Reinvigorating human health and embodying a vigorous lifestyle Raising children on a homestead Creating failure-proof and resilient energy systems Focusing on permaculture beekeeping Cultivating proven cold climate plants Overcoming analysis paralysis and mastering the art of knowing where to start and when to take strategic risks And much, much more! In an age that feels defined by disconnection, disease, and decline, The Resilient Farm and Homestead, Revised and Expanded Edition offers a roadmap to conquering uncertainty, maximizing efficiency, and creating a bountiful, manageable landscape that will endure. “Essential reading for the serious prepper as well as for everyone interested in creating a more resilient lifestyle.”—Carol Deppe, author of The Resilient Gardener “This intelligent, challenging book, rooted somewhere between back-to-the-land idealism and radical survivalism, sees resilience as both planting and building for the use of future generations, but also as preparing food, water, shelter, and the human body and psyche for the onset of any imaginable extreme emergency. . . . The result is a comprehensive, open-ended, theoretical and practical system for a post-carbon-dependent life.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review of first edition)

The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer, Revised Edition

The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer, Revised Edition
Author: Jeff Carpenter
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2023-09-07
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1645021130

“Seasoned and novice growers alike will find a mother lode of information and wisdom packed into this gem of a book!”—Nancy Phillips, author of The Herbalist’s Way *Updated with new information about herb dryers and construction, soil fertility, growing cannabis, and more In the first edition of The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer, authors Jeff and Melanie Carpenter presented a comprehensive seed-to-bottle guide for aspiring and experienced growers alike, from basic business considerations to planting and propagation to creating value-added products. Now they’re back with a revised and updated edition, sharing the lessons they’ve learned throughout their twenty-five years of operating a medicinal herb farm that prizes quality over quantity. The Carpenters offer their insights and tips on every aspect of herb farming, including: Size and scale considerations Data management for profit maximization The herbal marketplace and choosing which herbs to grow Field and bed preparation and planting, including building soil fertility Plant-positive weed, pest, and disease control Harvest and post-harvest processing, including scalable dryer construction Value-added products and marketing A new chapter on growing cannabis And much more! The Carpenters make the case that growing organic medicinal herbs is not only viable and profitable, but also an important step for improving the ecological health of farmland, taking pressure off of wild medicinal plant populations, and increasing biodiversity. While local foodways are more often the focus of attention, local medicine ways are equally critical and in need of restoration. The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer is a one-of-a-kind resource, complete with detailed profiles of 50 medicinal herbs and over 200 color photographs. Whether you’re looking to grow an herb farm from the ground up, incorporate medicinal plants on an existing farm, or add tools to your belt as a seasoned grower, you’ll find the information you need in this volume. “[A] beautiful and informative book . . . A dirt-smudged copy should be within easy reach of every home gardener or farmer who grows—or wants to grow—medicinal plants.”—Michael McGuffin, President, American Herbal Products Association

Barefoot Biodynamics

Barefoot Biodynamics
Author: Jeff Poppen
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
Total Pages: 191
Release: 2024-04-18
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1645022498

With decades of knowledge and proven, common-sense methods from “The Barefoot Farmer,” this practical guide to biodynamic principles and practices will appeal to growers of every scale and experience level. In Barefoot Biodynamics, organic grower Jeff Poppen—“The Barefoot Farmer”—combines tales from his personal history in rural Tennessee with the practical applications of biodynamic principles and the deep aspects of the biodynamic methods that continue to make his farm a success today. Jeff’s friendly, direct, and humorous writing will appeal not only to the biodynamic-curious, but also to farmers and gardeners who have experimented with the biodynamic approach and are looking for a deeper understanding of the practice. Rooted in the teachings of biodynamic pioneer Rudolf Steiner, Jeff’s unique insights and deep reflections on “guiding lines” of biodynamic growing are an invaluable resource. Those “guiding lines” include: producing a farm’s fertility using cover crops, compost, and other on-farm inputs enjoying the renewing power of farm festivals augmenting scientific knowledge with the power of observation and intuition avoiding chemical fertilizers understanding that carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen make up 95 percent of the physical structure of plants and are freely available in the air around us enhancing the availability of critical minerals such as silica and lime through good farming practices building humus-rich soil teeming with microbial life using homeopathic preparations to heal and enrich the soil In addition, Jeff walks the reader through the eight lectures on farming given by Steiner in 1924, summarizing important points from each lecture and “translating” them from Steiner’s profound yet sometimes impenetrable vocabulary into plain language. In Barefoot Biodynamics, Jeff provides new insight into these enigmatic lectures, revealing an often overlooked yet cost-effective farming method rooted in common sense.

Beekeeping For Dummies

Beekeeping For Dummies
Author: Howland Blackiston
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 507
Release: 2020-08-11
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1119702631

The single best and most comprehensive guide for prospective, new and experienced hobbyist beekeepers Beekeeping For Dummies, 5th Edition, is one of the most popular titles in the For Dummies series available today. Including the latest information regarding every aspect of backyard beekeeping and honey production, this book describes how to get started, how to care for and safely handle bees, and how to maintain healthy and productive colonies. This book is loaded with up-to-date, practical examples and helpful illustrations of proven techniques and strategies for both new and seasoned hobbyist beekeepers. Some of the updates for this brand-new edition include: New information regarding the critical role that nutrition plays in the health and productivity of your bees News about the latest beekeeping products, medications, and all-natural remedies Information regarding dozens of helpful beekeeping resources Redeemable coupons from beekeeping suppliers that save the reader money Beekeeping For Dummies embodies the straightforward and simple approach made famous by the For Dummies series. Each and every reader will benefit from its accessible and approachable take on beekeeping.

The Modern Homesteader's Handbook

The Modern Homesteader's Handbook
Author: Barrett Williams
Publisher: Barrett Williams
Total Pages: 101
Release: 2024-04-22
Genre: House & Home
ISBN:

**Unlock a New Era of Self-Sufficiency with "The Modern Homesteader's Handbook"** Step into the future of self-reliance and embrace the new frontier of homesteading with "The Modern Homesteader's Handbook." This groundbreaking eBook revolutionizes the traditional world of homesteading by merging age-old wisdom with today's most innovative technologies. Whether you're starting your journey or looking to elevate your existing homestead, this comprehensive guide lights the pathway to a sustainable and tech-savvy lifestyle. Craft a homestead where tradition meets technology in Chapter 1, exploring the fascinating evolution of homesteading and introducing you to the high-tech tools that enhance efficiency without compromising values. Learn how smart farming can be scaled to suit even the smallest of plots in Chapter 2, with insights into precision agriculture, IoT devices, and farm management software – all tailored for the data-driven homesteader. Harness the power of the elements in Chapter 3 by setting up renewable energy systems such as solar panels, wind turbines, and micro-hydro setups that empower you to live off-grid and eco-friendly. Conserve this precious planet's resources with innovative water-saving techniques featured in Chapter 4, enabling you to create sustainable cycles that nourish your land. Build resilient structures with the sustainable materials and methods detailed in Chapter 5. Then, delve into high-efficiency heating and cooling solutions in Chapter 6 to create a comfortable homestead that works in harmony with the environment. Automate and streamline your daily tasks using the advanced tech unveiled in Chapter 7, providing more time to enjoy the homesteading life you love. From reviving soil health with regenerative practices to adopting cutting-edge beekeeping methods, this eBook covers every aspect of modern homesteading through engaging and meticulously researched content. Each chapter, from aquaponics to digital homestead management, is designed to inform, inspire, and ignite a passion for sustainable living. "The Modern Homesteader's Handbook" isn't just a manual—it's a movement towards a future where self-sufficiency and technology thrive together. Whether feeding your curiosity or refining your skills, seize this opportunity to be at the forefront of the modern homesteading revolution. Your eco-conscious, tech-empowered, and deeply fulfilling life on the land begins today.

Childhood Unbound

Childhood Unbound
Author: Ron Taffel
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2010-04-13
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1416559280

Identifies the challenges facing parents as they raise their children in the early twenty-first century, and describes a parenting approach designed to encourage the good in kids of all ages, while steering them away from the bad.

Self-Help That Works

Self-Help That Works
Author: John C. Norcross Ph.D.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 611
Release: 2013-03-05
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 019932364X

Self-help is big business, but alas, not always a scientific one. Self-help books, websites, and movies abound and are important sources of psychological advice for millions of Americans. But how can you sift through them to find the ones that work? Self-Help That Works is an indispensable guide that enables readers to identify effective self-help materials and distinguish them from those that are potentially misleading or even harmful. Six scientist-practitioners bring careful research, expertise, and a dozen national studies to the task of choosing and recommending self-help resources. Designed for both laypersons and mental-health professionals, this book critically reviews multiple types of self-help resources, from books and autobiographies to films, online programs, support groups, and websites, for 41 different behavioral disorders and life challenges. The revised edition of this award-winning book now features online self-help resources, expanded content, and new chapters focusing on autism, bullying, chronic pain, GLB issues, happiness, and nonchemical addictions. Each chapter updates the self-help resources launched since the previous edition and expands the material. The final chapters provide key strategies for consumers evaluating self-help as well as for professionals integrating self-help into treatment. All told, this updated edition of Self-Help that Works evaluates more than 2,000 self-help resources and brings together the collective wisdom of nearly 5,000 mental health professionals. Whether seeking self-help for yourself, loved ones, or patients, this is the go-to, research-based guide with the best advice on what works.

The Girl Guide

The Girl Guide
Author: Christine Fonseca
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 174
Release: 2021-09-23
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000489604

Finding your unique voice in a noisy world can be hard—very hard. But not if you have a great guide! The Girl Guide: Finding Your Place in a Mixed-Up World is a must-read for girls in grades 6-8 as they enter the tumultuous world of adolescence. Packed with fun worksheets and quizzes, as well as stories from older girls and women, The Girl Guide covers everything a teenage girl needs to know on the journey toward her own identity. Proven strategies for dealing with stress management, confronting relational aggression, being safe online, navigating the changing mother-daughter relationship, and more make this the ultimate guide for any girl to get through the teen years and discover her unique point of view in the world. Grades 6-8 Check out Christine's article on building positive friendships in the January 2014 issue of Justine!