5Bill Turnbull had no intention of becoming a beekeeper. But when he saw an ad for beekeeping classes-after a swarm of bees landed in his suburban backyard-it seemed to be a sign. Despite being stung on the head-twice-at his first hands-on beekeeping class, Turnbull found himself falling in love with the fascinating, infuriating honeybee.

As a new beekeeper, Turnbull misplaced equipment for months, got stung more times-and in more places-than he cares to remember, and once even lost some bees up a chimney. But he kept at it, with a ready sense of humor and Zen-like acceptance of every mishap. And somehow, along the way, he learned a great deal about himself and the world around him.

Confessions of a Bad Beekeeper chronicles Turnbull's misadventures (and brief moments of triumph) in the curious world of backyard beekeeping-and also highlights both the threat to our bee population and what we can do to help these vital little creatures do their wonderful work.