The Rose Hive Method: Challenging Conventional Beekeeping Paperback – Illustrated, 12 May 2013

I read Tim Rowes book and then flew to Ireland and went on one of his day courses which was brilliant! I am a fairly new beekeeper and out of all the books I've read this was the one that I liked best. It's a very well written and accessible book useful for beginners or experienced beekeepers.Tim has over thirty years of beekeeping experience and he uses Rose Hives which are a little bit similar to National Hives but they have one size of box and frames throughout, (rather than the brood, super arrangement), and are used without a queen excluder. There are numerous advantages to this way of keeping bees which he describes better than i can here!Tim's ideas and methods are well explained and interesting and very worth reading.

A book that talks so much sense, and all with the bees in mind. The book proposes what appears to be a very natural way to manage bees in hives without trying to "box them in"! He suggests a re-think on several management techniques that have been around for a while and again they appear to be more in tune with the way the bees would do things in a natural state. Rowe has put a great deal of thought into this book and yet is still open minded enough to ask for feedback and critique. Would recommend to new and old beekeepers.

Found this book quite an interesting read,however being a beekeeper myself for some 55 years I don't think it's a methodthat I would use having tried double brood boxes several times before I know that the multi box system can be quite awkwardwhen it comes to manipulating them as the bees usually put brace comb between the tops of the frames in the lower box andthe bottoms of the frames in the upper box, breaking this comb for weekly examinations of a colony can messy and disturbingfor the bees.

If you are a beekeeper, beginner or weathered expert, then you need to read this book. Tim Rowe explains simply the very nature of bees, and shows how we can all help to ensure a future for them with a few simple adjustments to our management regimes. He challenges the accepted 'wisdom' of our misguided and clumsy efforts which have always focused on our convenience rather than what's best for the bees.If you really care about the bees which you 'keep', then please read this book. That's all I ask!

Ok. I'd read a bit on web pages/youtube and hoping for more substance in book but not sure there is much more here than you can find on the web. I'd like particularly (as a newbie) it spelt out how his system differs from current or standard beekeeping methodologies. Emphasis is on using his hive design (perhaps even promoted too much). I'd like some comparison on using it with more traditional hive components i.e. national supers. This would then really state that the rose hive is a method and not just a hive type. Its not uncommon to use a 'singe box size' hive, so not sure what the advantage is on using his slightly larger box sizes, especially if you already have hives.

This book does what it says: challenging conventional beekeeping.All animals that are used for the production of food have been treated - often mistreated - for maximum production and not for optimum health and wellbeing.Tim Rowe has changed that for his bees. He goes for optimal health and wellbeing and his bees are healthy and produce lots of honey and reproduce themselves happily.A very inspiring book. Looking forward to more books from tim Rowe.

As a bee keeper starting out on his third year, I would like to recommend this book. I keep bees in France where the Dadant seems to be the hive of choice for most new bee keepers, including myself. As my back is no longer what it once was, I looked for a kinder method for both myself and my bees and think that I have found it in the Rose Hive Method.

I could never understand why the traditionalists still persevere with two sizes of box. One for brood, the other for honey. What a waste of materials, inconvenient for the bee keeper, and added stress for the bees. This book explains simply and clearly how it can be done simpler and better!

Ok

Came early. Nice.

Fantastic book detailing some of the pitfalls of modern beekeeping methods and how to avoid them. I've been a keen bee-enthusiast for over 15 years, and some of these issues have been a problem for me and my family. I will be buying several more copies to share with other beekeepers, and possibly donating a few to the local library system.The author details how to build a Rose hive (including free plans), so I disagree with a previous reviewer that suggested that Tim Rowe is only pushing sale of his particular hive. I think this book is a must read for any system, and could be adapted to the ubiquitous Langstroth hive with a bit of planning and a few medium supers. His thoughts on methods of keeping a hygienic hive are brilliant, and the concept of banishing the queen excluder makes a great deal of sense.Those of you who are already invested in a particular method of beekeeping, it's still well worth the read to reconsider your current hive-management strategies.

Well worth buying! The author, who teaches beekeeping in Ireland, has written an inviting and informative book based on his decades of care of honeybees. His experiments with hive design led to a new kind of hive for his own bees, and the book explains why this improved layout can help keep everyone's bees healthier, wherever they live. Every change he made from conventional beehive structures has a reason, and the author goes back to the way bees behave in the wild to explain how beekeepers can help rather than hinder their ability to thrive. A keen observer, it's clear that the author has taken the time to understand what bees really need. I enjoyed this book even though I don't keep bees. It may be addressed to beekeepers and contain plans to build hives, but it has so much more, in history, observation, essay and story, that it's a cover-to-cover read, fascinating enough for every reader.

I've just started beekeeping this year with Warre hives. The Rose Hive method is similar, with some interesting twists that make sense. Rose uses a slightly different hive design (a little easier and less expensive to build than Warre) and has some suggestions for when and how to add boxes to hives based on years of experience. Very enjoyable read. If you are into top bar hives, especially the Warre type, this book should be in your library.