Great books about bees 26 July 2013
Field guides, campaigning books, scientific studies, books for children - our panel of experts pick the best books about bees.
The experts
Karin Alton is an entomologist working on evolution, behaviour and environment at The University of Sussex. She is founder of FlowerScapes Ltd a company that provides habitat creation and wildlife gardening solutions informed by the latest ecological research. FlowerScapes also supplies specialist bee and butterfly seed mixes for parks and gardens, road verges, amenity land and agricultural field margins.
Ted Benton is the author of several books about bumblebees, which has led to him being jokily labelled a "bombologist". He is also Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex, and points out that bees like humans, live in colonies, with a highly developed division of labour and cooperation.
Paul de Zylva is Senior Nature Campaigner, Friends of the Earth, England.
Dave Goulson is a specialist in bumblebee ecology and conservation based at The University of Sussex. He is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society. In 2006 he founded the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, a charity devoted to reversing bumblebee decline.
Eric Grissell was a co-founder of the International Society of Hymenopterists. A member of the Garden Writers' Association, he has written two books of essays on gardening as well as his insightful Insects and Gardens.
Chris Packham, TV presenter and naturalist, is a wildlife expert, photographer and author with a passion for conservation and the environment.
The bee crisis
A World Without Bees by Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum, Guardian Books, 2009, £7.99
Chris Packham says "A frank expose of the constant mis-management of a brutalised domestic animal."
The Hive Detectives, Chronicles of a Honey Bee Catastrophe by L G Burns, Houghton Mifflin, £5.90
Karin Alton says "A nicely presented book for older children. It gives an account of some of the problems facing honey bees, especially in the US."
A Sting in the Tale by Dave Goulson Vintage Jonathan Cape Ltd, £16.99
"A great read for those interested in natural history and in particular bumblebees. One to sit and enjoy with a nice cup of tea," says Karin Alton.
The Beekeeper's Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honey Bees Help Feed America by Hannah Nordhaus,Harper Perennial, £8.99
Award-winning journalist Hannah Nordhaus tells the story of John Miller, one of America's foremost migratory beekeepers, and the myriad and mysterious epidemics threatening American honeybee populations.
Field guides to bees
Bees Wasps and Ants Recording Society - www.bwars.com
"A good source for information on solitary bees," says Ted Benton.
Field Guide to the Bumblebees of Great Britain and Ireland by Mike Edwards and Martin Jenner, Ocelli Limited, 11.99
"Very good identification guide and useful for beginners," says Ted Benton.
A Pocket guide to the Bumblebees of Britain and Ireland by B. J. Pinchen, Forficula Books, £5.00
Ted Benton says "literally a pocket guide. Very useful."
Bees, Wasps, Ants and Allied Insects of the British Isles by Edward Step,Warne, available from secondhand booksellers c.£18
Published in 1946, this is " A lovely old book, with colour plates and other illustrations, and lots of natural history about this wonderful collection of insects," says Karin Alton.
Bees and their lives
Bees of Surrey by D. W. Baldock, Surrey Wildlife Trust
Ted Benton says "a superb county guide that covers the majority of british species as it is about Surrey."
New Naturalist Bumblebees by Ted Benton, HarperCollins, £69.00
Expert information on the bees and their habitats, keys, and illustrations of all species (except the recent reintroduction).
Bumblebees of Essex by Ted Benton,Lopinga Books, £18.50
Plenty of bumblebee natural history, and covers most british species even though only about Essex bees.
Bees Wasps and Ants Recording Society, www.bwars.com/
"A good source for information on solitary bees," says Ted Benton
Sweetness and light - the mysterious history of the honey bee, by Hattie Ellis, Sceptre, £7.95
Richly informative and beautifully written.
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Bumblebees (Collins New Naturalist Series) by John Free and Colin G. Butler, Collins, available from secondhand booksellers, c.£50
The New Naturalist series. An excellent book, but not as an identification guide.
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Bumblebees by Dave Goulson, OUP, £34.95
An academic book encompassing behaviour, ecology and conservation.
The Bees of the World by Charles Michener, The Johns Hopkins University Press, £123.00
Eric Grissell says "Although highly technical, and largely taxonomic, it is the most complete assessment of bees from every angle imaginable."
Bees of the World, Christopher O'Toole and Anthony Raw, Facts On File Inc, £10.82
Eric Grissell says "Devoted to the biology and behavior of bees, this is a highly readable overviews of their lives."
Bee by Claire Preston, Reaktion Books, £12.95
Eric Grissell says "For those who are searching for less science and an enjoyable read this is the book."
Bumblebees: (Naturalists' Handbook) by Oliver E. Prys-Jones and Sarah A. Corbet, Pelagic Publishing, £19.99
"Excellent introduction to Natural history and UK species," says Ted Benton
Honey Bee Democracy by TD Seeley, Princeton University Press, £19.95
Karin Alton says "An interesting read by an eminent honey bee scientist on the workings of a honey bee colony."
The Humble-Bee: Its Life-history and How to Domesticate it, with Descriptions of All the British Species of Bombus and Psithyrus by Frederick Sladen, Bibliolife, LLC, £13.99
"1989 reprint of the original 1912. Brilliant if you can get hold of a copy!" says Ted Benton.
The Buzz about Bees, Biology of a superorganism by Jürgen Tautz, Springer, £29.99
Karin Alton says "Well written, informative and beautifully illustrated with many detailed photographs."
Keeping bees
Bees in the City by Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum, Guardian Books, £12.99
Crop Pollination by Bees by KS Delaplane and DF Mayer, CABI Publishing, £100
Karin Alton says "A review of the biology of pollination and pollination requirements, and how to conserve bees for optimum pollination."
Keeping Bees in Towns and Cities by Luke Dixon, Timber Press, £14.99
From siting hives and reassuring the neighbours, to combating interference from wind, artificial light and predators, this one-stop reference takes the urban beekeeper from set-up to first honey harvest.
Guide to Bees and Honey the World's Best Selling Guide to Beekeeping by Ted Hooper, Northern Bee Books, £12.99
Karin Alton says "a good general book about beekeeping."
A Book of Bees, and How to Keep Them by Sue Hubbell, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, £7.99
Eric Grissell says "Sue Hubbell is a philosophical and literary writer of note. One shies away from the idea that bee behavior can teach us much of anything relating to the human condition, but Hubbell reminds us that inspiration comes from anywhere we care to look, even bees."
From Where I Sit: Essays on Bees, Beekeeping, and Science by Mark L. Winston, Cornell University Press, £13.95
Eric Grissell says "a collection of columns from Bee Culture, from a scientist and teacher who bridges the gap between doing and telling. Winston is one of those writers who takes scientific information and makes it both readable and enjoyable."
Planting for bees
Bees, Wasps and Ants: The Indispensable Role of Hymenoptera in Gardens by Eric Grissell, Timber Press Inc., 2010, £17.99
Few insects are more important than bees, wasps, and ants. They maintain the garden's biological balance, fertilize vegetables, fruits, and flowers, and recycle nutrients within the soil. Grissell explains how gardeners can encourage (or discourage) them in the garden.
Plants for bees - a comprehensive guide to the plants that benefit the bees of the British Isles by WDJ Kirk and FN Howes, International Bee Research Association, £25.00
Karin Alton says "A great book to give you some ideas of what to put in your own patch of garden to help feed honey bees and wild bees."
Crop Pollination by Bees by KS Delaplane and DF Mayer, CABI Publishing, £100
Karin Alton says "A review of the biology of pollination and pollination requirements, and how to conserve bees for optimum pollination."
Attracting Native Pollinators by Eric Mader, Matthew Shepherd and Mace Vaughn, The Xerces Society Guide Protecting North America's Bees and Butterflies, £19.67
Eric Grissell says "Though not exclusively about bees, this book covers the subject of pollination in an entirely gardener-friendly manner. It discusses bees, which play a huge role in pollination, and just about anything written to encourage pollinators will benefit bees."
The Natural History of Pollination by Michael Proctor, Peter Yeo, and Andrew Lack, Collins, £45.00
Eric Grissell says "This is a scientific approach to pollination and pollinators, and not entirely about bees, but a large chapter is devoted to them. Everything related to pollination is covered in this tome, so it is an excellent reference source."
Gardening for Wildlife A Complete Guide to Nature-friendly Gardening by Adrian Thomas, RSPB, £19.99
Winner of the Garden Media Guild New Talent Award 2010. Thomas busts the myth that wildlife gardens have to be 'wild'.There are sections to help you create entire habitats, such as woodland and meadow gardens, and a catalogue of over 300 of the very best garden flowers, shrubs and trees for wildlife.
Wildflowers by Sarah Raven, Bloomsbury, £30.00
Beautifully illustrated a survey of over 500 of our most breathtakingly beautiful wild flowers.
Bees and literature
Bee Journal by Sean Borodale, Cape Poetry, £10.00
From the collection of a small nucleus on the first day to the capture of a swarm two years later. Borodale observes the living architecture of the comb, the range and locality of the colony, its flights, flowers, water sources, parasites, lives and deaths
from "24th May: Collecting the Bees"
He just wears a veil, this farmer, no gloves
and lifts open a dribbly wax-clogged
blackwood box.
We in our whites mute with held breath.
Hello bees.
Drops four frames into our silence.
The air is like mica
ancient with thin flecks;
distance viewed through a filter of thousands.
I am observed.
The Hive - the story of the Honeybee and Us by Bee Wilson, John Murray, £9.99
A cultural history of bees. The history of humans and honeybees is also a history of ideas, taking us through the evolution of science, religion, and politics, and a social history that explores the bee's impact on food and human ritual.
Illustrated Children's and teen's books about bees
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A Murmur of Bees complied by Amoret Scott, Oxford Illustrated Board Book, c.£4.00
Karin Alton says "a sweet collecton of verse, sayings, quotations and poetry to celebrate our bees."
Life of the Honey-bee by W. Sinclair, A Ladybird Natural History Book, available secondhand, c. £3.00
Karin Alton says "One of my earliest 'bee reads' from my childhood, I still enjoy the illustrations!"
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The Hive Detectives, Chronicles of a Honey Bee Catastrophe by L G Burns, Houghton Mifflin, £5.90
Karin Alton says "A nicely presented book for older children. It gives an account of some of the problems facing honey bees, especially in the US."
The Dancing Bees by Karl von Frisch, Methuen, £15.00
Eric Grissell says 'When I was a teenager this was among the first books I read about insects. It instilled the notion that insects were much more interesting than plants, and prompted me to take an apiculture course in college as well as to do a special study on honey bee ocelot."
Bumblebee by JV Wilson, Frances Lincoln Children's Books, £11.99
Chris Packham says "Everyone loves our busy bumblers but many of the UK's species are in trouble. Read and enjoy this lovely book and then find a way to give them a helping hand."
Find out how you can help bees - get involved in The Bee Cause.
Have your own favourite bee book? Join the conversation below, tell us why you like it.
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