Increase Essentials Book

Increase Essentials by Dr. Lawrence Connor is a practical guide to making new bee colonies and using nucleus colonies as a management tool. Widely used in introductory beekeeping courses, this book focuses on sustainable growth, local queen use, and strengthening apiary resilience.

Key Features and Benefits

• Focus on colony increase: Step-by-step guidance for making new bee colonies

• Nucleus colony management: Practical use of nucs for expansion and problem solving

• Varroa management strategy: Uses nuclei as part of mite control efforts

• Local queen emphasis: Encourages the use of locally acclimatized queens and bees

• Updated second edition: Includes revised material with full-color photos and diagrams

• Course-adopted resource: Widely used in introductory beekeeping programs

• 176 pages: Comprehensive yet approachable reference

Detailed Description

In Increase Essentials, Dr. Lawrence Connor continues his respected Bee Essentials series with a focused guide on colony growth and nucleus management. The book explains how to create new colonies while maintaining strong production hives and improving overall apiary stability.

A central theme of the book is the strategic use of nucleus colonies. Dr. Connor demonstrates how nucs can help manage varroa mites, provide replacement queens for failing colonies, support winter survival, and supply fresh bees for growth or sale. Emphasis is placed on using local queens and bees to build stronger, better-adapted colonies.

The second edition includes updated material along with full-color photographs and diagrams to clearly illustrate techniques and management strategies. Whether you are expanding your operation or simply looking to maintain spare queens and backup colonies, Increase Essentials provides practical instruction rooted in real-world experience.

176 Pages, ISBN- 10: 1878075357, ISBN- 13: 978-1878075352

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