The Path from Beginner to Master
by Jonathan Adam Hargus
Book 1 in The Hive Doctor's Guide Series
The Intuitive Beekeeper — Revised Edition
Developing the Mentor Within
Beekeeping isn’t just boxes, frames, smoke, and schedules — it’s a conversation.
A language.
A relationship.
Most beekeeping books teach what to do. This one helps you understand why — and more importantly, how to listen.
In The Intuitive Beekeeper, author and educator Jonathan Adam Hargus — The Hive Doctor — bridges the gap between science and instinct, giving beekeepers a way to approach their hives with confidence, clarity, and calm. Whether you’re brand new to bees or years into the craft and searching for deeper understanding, this book will help you move beyond checklist beekeeping and into intentional, connected practice.
Inside, you’ll learn:
How to read a hive without opening it
When to act — and when to leave the bees alone
The balance between data, observation, and intuition
How to assess colony health through behavior, sound, scent, and posture
A simplified approach to hive management that reduces overwhelm and increases success
This revised edition includes updated methods, improved structure, refined seasonal guidance, and a more grounded philosophy rooted in both research and real-world experience.
If you’re ready to stop reacting and start understanding, this is your missing link between beginner and master.
Because the best beekeepers aren’t just managing bees —
they’re learning to hear them.
25+ years as a professional beekeeper, guiding hives and beekeepers alike
If you’ve ever stood over an open hive wondering whether you’re helping or quietly making things worse, I understand that feeling. I’ve seen it happen countless times—not because people don’t care, but because the signals aren’t obvious when you’re new. I spent 15 years apprenticing alongside commercial beekeepers, where every choice had real consequences and reading the bees’ signals correctly wasn’t optional. In 2017, I went out on my own—and along the way, I’ve helped hobbyists and intermediate beekeepers make sense of their first seasons without the trial-and-error I once faced. This bookstore is the shortcut I wish I had. Every recommendation comes from years of hands-on experience, so you can focus on what matters, skip the noise, and build healthy, thriving hives with confidence. Think of it as a guide to learning your bees—and enjoying the process—without getting lost.
Colony Tracing: Progression Mapping Colony Direction
Learn to read your colonies like a map. This book shows how to track their signals, measure progression, and understand the direction they’re heading—so your decisions are guided by insight, not guesswork.
-The Four Behavior Shifts That Will Change Your Entire Season-
by Jonathan Adam Hargus
The Butterfly Effect of Beekeeping is Volume Three in The Hive Doctor’s signal-based beekeeping series. This book focuses on how small beekeeping decisions influence colony health, hive management outcomes, and seasonal success. Instead of step-by-step techniques or equipment advice, it reevaluates the beekeeping decision-making process and introduces four core behavioral shifts that lead to better, long-term results. With practical examples of colony signals and directional variables, this book helps beekeepers improve awareness, interpret hive behavior, and make better decisions that create lasting effects in beekeeping.
Stop Managing Outcomes. Start Managing Signals.
by Jonathan Adam Hargus
Book 5 in The Hive Doctor's Guide Series
-Why Less Intervention, Applied Precisely, Produces Stronger Colonies-
by Jonathan Adam Hargus
Book 6 in The Hive Doctor's Guide Series
Book 3 in The Hive Doctor's Guide Series
Book 4 in The Hive Doctor's Guide Series
Book 2 in The Hive Doctor's Guide Series