Profitable Honey Production is a booklet that was published in July 1996 by Teagasc, Ireland. I thank them for permission to place a pdf (button top left) of the booklet on this website.

I am happy to display the booklet here because although it is fairly basic the content is very sound. It is a little "dated" in some places, but if you make allowances for that, then it will still be relevant for many years to come.

The booklet was written for Irish beekeepers and although Ireland is a fairly small island the conditions for beekeeping can vary widely. Some areas are very marginal for bees, others very good.

For the beginner especially I will make comments to aid understanding.

• Page 12. Putting the first super on in early May, could be too late in some areas, especially where OSR is grown.
• Page 13. The method of swarm control is effectively the Wakeford method. I have used it for over 50 years, but I always add a super at the time the first queen cells are removed.
• Page 16. Cut Comb and Chunk Honey. If I put worker comb immediately above the brood nest the bees put pollen in it. I put drone comb in the super above the queen excluder, with a cut comb super above that.
• Page 23. It is now illegal to use Fumidil B in the U.K. It is now known the varroa is Varroa destructor, not Varroa jacobsoni.
• Page 26. Varroa became resistant to "Bayvarol" some time ago in may regions and it is unwise to use it as a front line treatment.
• P 35/36. It doesn't state that Modified Commercial Hives can be top or bottom bee space. The sizes given are for bottom bee space. Be careful when buying, especially second hand.

I like this small publication and I recommend it for use by beginners.

Roger Patterson.