Gifts for the beekeeper (or bee lover) on your Santa list

Beekeeping isn’t all about working in the beehives.  It’s also about the sheer love of bees, and beekeepers often love all things bee.

The thing I covet most this season is the bee-themed business card holder (Okay, so it’s really a cigarette case, but I don’t smoke) from Cosmic Firefly in Nevada.

And for serving honey without any drippy fuss, the Norpro honey dispenser will drizzle the liquid gold, and the glass base will catch any drips.

Kimberley recently bought all-natural sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner from Ohio-based Beecology. Made with botanicals and honey, she says these products feel good and smell amazing! And it’s always great to support a fellow beekeeper.

And of course, there’s also lots of stuff to buy for the bees.

We’ve been impressed with these two books:

Beekeeping in Coastal California, by Jeremy R. Rose This book gives month-by-month information about what the bees are doing, what plants are blooming, and what the beekeeper should be doing (oh, if only we more closely followed the author’s advice!).

The Backyard Beekeeper, by Kim Flottom  Kim, the editor of Bee Culture magazine, has revised, updated, and expanded his useful guide. This is a terrific book for beginner and advanced beekeeps, with great photos, complete information, and clear instructions and advice for the apiarist (a beekeeper). It also has projects using beeswax and cooking with honey. You might want to combine it with Kim’s other book, The Backyard Beekeeper’s Honey Handbook. 

Kim is a proponent of the 8-frame hive. If I were starting my own hives at home, I’d go with the 8-frame hive. They’re lighter and easier to lift. Miller Bee has some basic boxes, but the 8-frame English Garden Hive from Brushy Mountain is a thing of beauty, with or without bees.

For more ideas, you can check out our gift ideas from our first year of beekeeping. They still stand (although the prices are a little bit higher these days).