The Little Book of bees

Little Book Series

by Karl Weiss, C.H. Vergara (Assistant)

The more we learn about bees, the more extraordinary they seem. They have five eyes and beat their wings at almost 200 cycles per second. And to communicate with each other bees do make sounds but also dance. This book, packed with over 30 figures, gives a fascinating insight into the extraordinary complex and highly organised world of bees. The author, K. Weiss, explains the critical role that bees and bee-keeping play for human society, and offers advice for those interested in raising bees.

171 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Saartje · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book full of interesting knowledge on all bee species with extensive information on the lives of the individual species groups. Well written and well researched!

[Linden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though only about 5 x 7" this book is packed with every aspect of a number of members of bee family species. It includes the evolution of the bee from its Hymenoptera beginnings to its more current form in the Cretaceous period, or about 100 million years ago. It also covers anatomy, solitary bees and social development, bumblebees and stingless bees, and the domestic honeybee.

I was pleased by the information culled from studies of honeybee and explanations of their behavior, particularly the relationship of bee dances on the vertical surface of comb to the horizontal flight over terrain.

On the other hand, it seemed silly to have an illustration about the relative size of bees that was only at three-quarter scale. Had the book designers turned that drawing to a landscape orientation, it could have been life-size. Indeed, all illustrations would have been more useful when larger in that orientation. (150 p.)

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually found this to be a fascinating read. I liked the fact that the author patiently takes the reader through a review of how species are determined then - once establishing this baseline - takes us on a journey as to the origins not just of our beloved honeybee, but also a number of solitary bees including the incredibly weird bumble bee.

I found it a moderately easy read, certainly not out of the grasp of anyone who has taken biology during their high school years. As a resource it would be worth the shelf space and for any fan of bees, it gives a far more rounded look at the technicalities of our winged friends than anything else I've come across to date.

[Thomas Edmund · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m really not sure how this cute little thing got on my reading list. Maybe I looked up non-fiction coming soon, or maybe I really meant to read The Secret Life of Bees, either way I’m not too upset.

Once you get past the monotonous descriptions of how species are determined, Little Book of Bees takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the life of bees. Of most interest is Bees social behaviour, who would have thought Bumble Bees were so f***ing weird?