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13th out of 59 books
—
17 voters
Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honeybee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis
How the disappearance of the world’s honeybee population puts the food we eat at risk.
Many people will remember that Rachel Carson predicted a silent spring, but she also warned of a fruitless fall, a time when “there was no pollination and there would be no fruit.” The fruitless fall nearly became a reality last year when beekeepers watched one third of the honeybee
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
September 16th 2008
by Bloomsbury USA
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This book is a life-changer. One of the most compelling books I've ever read, it tells about how our food system is dependent on honey bees, how the bees' hives and system of life is collapsing, why, and what needs to happen. Moreover, Jacobsen describes the pollination system so well, he's able to suggest the way all agriculture works systematically, and how our current-day methods are destroying sustainable food production.
It's a huge wake-up call, and if I had the money I'd buy 100 copies of...more
It's a huge wake-up call, and if I had the money I'd buy 100 copies of...more
In 2008, I read over 30 books about bees for a project I was doing. My father told me about this newly released bee book, and I simply had to get my hands on it. Rowan Jacobsen's book talks about bees, but it also examines their impact on agriculture and their importance in global ecology. I found the book was more of a general book about agriculture and the environment than one specifically about bees. I liked his writing style, which was light and funny. Despite this, he still didn't skimp on...more
I bring home plenty of nonfiction books, but I almost never read them. After a few pages my eyes glaze over and I switch to fiction. This book was a huge surprise to me. I picked it up because I really wanted to know what was going on with the bees disappearing. I thought that I would just skim it and read the conclusion. It turned out to be a total page-turner. I stayed up late, I read the whole book in a couple of days. It's funny, it's suspenseful, it's really well-written. And it contains in...more
Rowan Jacobsen’s new book, “Fruitless Fall”, gives one of the strongest arguments for sustainable agriculture. The entire book leads us to believe the major reason for Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) (bees are disappearing at unbelievable rates), is our need to over use bees to pollinate our mono-crops, thus they become overly stressed and succumb to numerous diseases (immune deficiency). Yet the mystery of where they are still exists. The current agri-business model is immanently flawed, where b...more
This is an excellent book, in the tradition of Rachel Carson and Michael Pollan, that addresses the recent stress on honeybee populations and uncovers the bizarre agro-industrial complex that we've invented to harness nature. Who would have guessed that 80% of the world's almonds come from one valley in California and that the recent boom in almond production ends up 'consuming' a huge share of the commercial beehives in the US? I love his explanation of how a beehive works, telling it as a stor...more
This was an enlightening book, not just about honeybees, but about the brokenness and precariousness of our entire food system. The planting of monocultures is detrimental to pollinators, nature, and ourselves. Bees are uprooted and brought by the millions of hives to pollinate these monocultures (almonds, for example) leading to stress, overwork, infection, mites, escalating chemical treatment, and ultimately hive collapse. As a beekeeper, I intuitively knew that the chemical treatment regimen...more
I've always been fascinated by bees, but Fruitless Fall has made me an even bigger fan of these little fellas than ever before and also made me realize just how dependent our society has become upon their health and ability to thrive. Before reading this book I had no idea that the apple, blueberry, strawberry, {fill in the blank favorite fruit or any other pollinated crop for that matter} is just one small catastrophe away from following the path of the dinosaur. Sure, I knew we were in peril b...more
CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) is affecting Honeybee hives all over the United States as well as many other countries. The bees don't just die, they disappear. This is an excellent book about Honeybees and the diseases, traditional practices, Africanized bees, and "fix-its" that may have come together to create the "perfect storm" and be causing what could eventually become a far reaching crisis effecting many flowering plants, fruit trees, nuts, grasses, etc., literally removing the food from o...more
Not the best book I've ever read, but probably the best (and sure, the only) book about bees I've ever read. Everyone should at least skim it though, because we are beholden to these little fuckers who pollinate our crops and provide us with nature's best biscuit topping.
There are things in here that are really important, I think, for humans to consider as we go about the daily business of sustenance, and it's well written and opens up space for more writing about bees, pollination, the multifarious problems with our economic system and the growth of monocultural crops. This book offers some simple though not necessarily easy solutions to intensifying problems and also reminds us that though there is a certain amount of resilience in species and ecosystems, we a...more
I just finished reading this book for the second time. Here is a review I wrote for my blog back in September 2008, when I read it the first time ...
It is probably impossible to have lived through the last two years and not at least heard about Colony Collapse Disorder, the mysterious ailment that has ravaged the world’s population of managed honeybees. CCD has been covered in every major newspaper and in magazines from The New Yorker to Martha Stewart Living. This fall, several adult books on t...more
It is probably impossible to have lived through the last two years and not at least heard about Colony Collapse Disorder, the mysterious ailment that has ravaged the world’s population of managed honeybees. CCD has been covered in every major newspaper and in magazines from The New Yorker to Martha Stewart Living. This fall, several adult books on t...more
This was a really amazing book. Beyond learning about the honey bee, the book also discusses how connected we all are with everything around us.
Interesting bits:
Traces of pesticides long discontinued still show up in the beeswax of hives today.
Specialized pollinators--when they disappear, people must take over or the plants become extinct. Vanilla is a human-pollinated species these days, and is the most labor-intensive crop.
Life cycle of bees, life cycle of different bees, bee farming practice...more
Interesting bits:
Traces of pesticides long discontinued still show up in the beeswax of hives today.
Specialized pollinators--when they disappear, people must take over or the plants become extinct. Vanilla is a human-pollinated species these days, and is the most labor-intensive crop.
Life cycle of bees, life cycle of different bees, bee farming practice...more
You might think this book has a narrow scope since it is about bees, but it hits on an incredible number of environmental problems. The problem of colony collapse disorder (CCD) in bees is but one "canary in the coal mine" showing that our planet's ecosystems are not status quo. The fact is, although hundreds of scientists have been working for years on this problem, we still aren't sure what causes CCD. It is most likely that there isn't just one thing to blame -- people have just meddled too m...more
I highly recommend this book to everyone in the world. It is crucial to understanding what humans are doing to increase the risk to our "comfortable" life and our survival, and what we can do to increase our chances of survival and improve the quality of life. The author does a great job of describing a very complex set of issues on the planet in a way that is easy for anyone to understand and describes issues using interesting (and sometimes funny) anecdotes that make a connection between many...more
If anyone needed to unionize, the the American Honey Bee does! These guys are underpaid, overworked, poorly fed and exposed to a toxic work and home environment on a daily basis. And yet they work and work and work! These guys are not only golden, but worth their weight in gold!
Recently I've discovered a wild bee hive in my backyard. It is endlessly fascinating to watch them. I'm constantly amazing at how relaxed they are even when I've cut weeds away from the opening of the hive.
I can understan...more
Recently I've discovered a wild bee hive in my backyard. It is endlessly fascinating to watch them. I'm constantly amazing at how relaxed they are even when I've cut weeds away from the opening of the hive.
I can understan...more
Rowan Jacobsen's book "Fruitless Fall" is heavy on the facts but reads beautifully. Jacobsen brings wit and skill to a potentially tedious topic. The book not only gives the reader amazing insight into the world of the hive and beekeeping, but also deeply analyzes the state of agriculture today. A fantastic book, Jacobsen is also very generous in his sources, allowing the reader to pursue to subject further. The appendix is also a great source for tips about starting your own hive or how to plan...more
This is one of those rare books that really changed the way I see things. On the surface this is a book about Colony Collapse Disorder of bees, but it is a cautionary ecological tale as well. We really must change the way we grow our foods because the repercussions go way beyond what we can see in the present. The appendixes were full of interesting information including many health benefits of honey that I had no idea about (such as the ability of honey to improve the quantity of deep sleep you...more
This book was great. I had it sitting on my shelf for months and months (maybe even a year!) before I finally got around to reading it, and I don't know why I waited so long. I'm sort of a science geek, so maybe that had something to do with how much I enjoyed it, but I found it to be a really well-written and accessible look at what an important role bees play in our agriculture industry. And maybe the fact that agriculture has become such an "industry" in this country has something to do with...more
An interesting read that gave me greater appreciation of how our ecosystem works and pollinators' role in it. Some key points:
* 80% of our diet depends on pollinators and bees. With the advent of monoculture agriculture, bees often have to be trucked in to do pollination. Proper pollination increases crop yield significantly--estimates range from $3-$4 billion in additional productivity. The biggest $ event of the season is pollinating the California almond crop--beekeepers make more money from...more
* 80% of our diet depends on pollinators and bees. With the advent of monoculture agriculture, bees often have to be trucked in to do pollination. Proper pollination increases crop yield significantly--estimates range from $3-$4 billion in additional productivity. The biggest $ event of the season is pollinating the California almond crop--beekeepers make more money from...more
Add this to the pile of natural history titles about a specific food/creature/process that seems to be so popular these days. I'm a sucker for this kind of book. This one is an excellent example of the genre. The science is easily understood and humorously presented.
Everyone knows of the interdependence of insects and agriculture. I just never realized how fragile the balance is. Honey bees are such a linchpin in the whole process because in addition to providing the pollination process needed...more
Everyone knows of the interdependence of insects and agriculture. I just never realized how fragile the balance is. Honey bees are such a linchpin in the whole process because in addition to providing the pollination process needed...more
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Engaging but a little too technical at times. Jacobsen discusses the social life of bees, the lives of beekeepers, the value of honey and the possible causes of CCD-Colony Collapse Disorder. We NEED bees for many reasons especially for pollination of many crops but they are mysteriously (or not so mysteriously) dying in droves due to the usual suspects-pesticides, habitat loss, introduction pf alien species, etc.This book disabused me of my bee-keeping fantasy.
If you have read Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" this is an excellent follow up written almost 50 years after her predictions. If you haven't, it is still a worth while read. While a lot of books of this style are dry, this book was easy to read ; full of witty incites and reports not limited to about honey bees and colony collapse disorder. An honest observation of the sate of our current agricultural system, the flaws in our food economy and the simple observations of the truly remarkable infr...more
Everyone must read this book. What will the world be without bees? Desolate, barren, their will be riots because food will be scarce.
Rachel Carsone (Silent Spring) tried to warn us. Not heeding her warning has brought the environment of this world to a critical point.
Read the book -- Rowan Jacobsen says it much better than I can.
Rachel Carsone (Silent Spring) tried to warn us. Not heeding her warning has brought the environment of this world to a critical point.
Read the book -- Rowan Jacobsen says it much better than I can.
This was by far one of the most interesting and compelling books I have read in a while. I went around for weeks trying to fit references to it in all my conversations (just ask my friend Abby). I have always been afraid of bees, but now I'd say I admire them. Maybe a little preachy at times, but wonderful nonetheless.
I found this book very interesting. It brought to my attention a problem that I wasn't even aware existed. My husband and I both became interested in starting our own hive after reading this book. extra bonus in the appendix in the back of the book it gives you uses for honey, and refrences for starting your own hive.
If you liked this try Bumblebee Economics and A Book of Bees: And How to Keep Them
A great read, especially after seeing an article about two studies questioning the use of pesticides known as neonicotinoids. I love the author's note (yes, the aspirin guys). After reading the chapter "Cultivating A Pollinator Garden", on seed packets I am passing on plants that provide no nectar or pollen.
This is the kind of nonfiction book I really like. It's full of interesting general information about bees, specific stories about the research that's been done to figure out why they're not dong so well, and the people who are doing something about it. And it's written in a really engaging style.
Super interesting book about the disappearance of the honey bees and wild pollinators but also just information about the workings of a bee hive which is way more complicated than I ever understood before. I highly recommend this book if you have any interest in insects that live in colonies.
What I've read was very well-written and intriguing, but I realized I wouldn't be able to handle the tragedy and heartbreak I knew was coming, so I put it down before I could get too upset.
It's a very important book, though, and a very important subject. Support your bees! Love your bees!
It's a very important book, though, and a very important subject. Support your bees! Love your bees!
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Rowan Jacobsen is the James Beard Award-winning author of A Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur’s Guide to Oyster Eating in North America, Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis, and The Living Shore, about our ancient connection to estuaries and their potential to heal the oceans. He has written for the New York Times, Newsweek, Harper’s, Outside, Eatin...more
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