From building a hive to harvesting honey, a top urban beekeeper shares how to care for bees the simple, mindful way. In The Idle Beekeeper, Bill Anderson calls upon his years of experience as an urban beekeeper to celebrate these underappreciated insects and show how simple and rewarding beekeeping can be. In this entertaining, philosophical, and practical guide, Anderson shares why and how to build a hive system that is both cutting-edge and radically old. Maximum idleness is achieved through step-by-step directions to help the beekeeper gently harvest honey with minimum effort, make mead and beeswax candles, and closely observe and understand these fascinating and productive social creatures. Global bee populations have been rapidly declining for years, and it's not just our honey supply that's at stake: The contribution of bees to the pollination of crops is essential to human survival.