In the United States about 200,000 people keep almost 5 million colonies of honey bees and produce 200 million to 250 million pounds of honey annually. Beekeepers derive income from the sale of honey, renting of colonies for crop pollination, production and sale of queen bees and packaged bees, and to a minor extent, from the sale of beeswax, pollen, bee venom, propolis, and royal jelly.This handbook, prepared by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, provides readers with a better understanding of beekeeping in the United States. Some topics discussed are the life history of the honey bee; bee behavior; breeding and genetics of honey bees; queens; packaged bees, and nuclei; managing colonies for high honey yield and crop pollination; diseases and pests of honey bees; and effects of pesticides on honey bee mortality.