The Robson family have been engaged in commercial beekeeping in the border country of Scotland and Northern England for three generations. In the lowlands prime agricultural land enables their colonies to collect nectar from a wide source of plants, particularly oil seed rape, but it is late summer that the beekeepers most look forward to – hoping that the bees will bring home a rich harvest of the much-prized heather honey from the moorlands.

In this valuable book, Willie Robson reflects over the years his family have been keeping bees and in so doing passes on invaluable information which beekeepers of all levels will find of use – especially now that bees are finding it even more difficult to survive.