Read: The Buzz About Bees

This book seems to be a staple amongst those brave enough to take the first step into gaining more (technical) knowledge about bees. I was lucky enough to know a beekeeper who owned it and was willing to lend it to me to read.

At first I felt a little cheated, felt that the first few chapters contained knowledge that I had already through my own curiosity in bees. I was wondering whether it was the right decision to start reading it, considering that I would now have to finish it, regardless of my opinion of it! So, I reluctantly pressed on…thankfully.

The chapters got progressively more complicated with some focusing on special areas such as the bee’s visual system, larvae development (with pictures!), mating, DNA breakdown and finally, a significant amount of questions still left unanswered. There was a fantastic chapter explaining why bees are considered a ‘super-organism’ and how their colony make-up is so clearly comparable to our own bodies, where each bee can be represented by a cell and organs. Understanding and appreciating how they operate and why, helped me empathise even more and relate to a much higher level with bees, and for that, I have this book to thank.

In summary, this is indeed a great book for someone new to the ‘technical’ side of bees to dive into. Its waters are just the right depth for anyone with shallow understanding of bees to start swimming and gaining more knowledge.