Overview

Witness the life cycle of the honey bee with this magnificent entomological guide featuring 120 full-color macro photographs! A team of researchers committed to an extraordinary challenge: portray the life of a honey bee from beginning to end. Over a two-year span, they documented tens of thousands of bees using state-of-the-art macroimaging technology that captures intimate details otherwise invisible to the naked eye. Diary of a Honey Bee chronicles the life of these honey bees as they survive through the changing seasons, featuring more than 120 extraordinary images and illuminating science on their biology and behaviors. As pollinators and honey producers, honey bees are essential to the survival of the planet. They're also highly intelligent—they plan daily routines, use symbolic language, and can count, including understanding the concept of zero. The book explores how worker bees show the queen where to find mates, decide where to establish a new colony and whether to raise a new queen, and work together to forage for food. Honey bees work in impressive harmony in a hive, but they are more than a swarm or collective; they are individuals with their own personalities that come together for the greater good. Blending fascinating science and incredible macro photography, Diary of a Honey Bee is an invitation to experience their bright minds, amazing feats, and dramatic lives.

Full Product Details

9781588348166

Table of Contents

Reviews

BOOKLIST ""Documentary filmmaker Wells follows a hive of honey bees living in the Karwendel Mountains in Austria through the seasons, noting the activities that typically occur during each period. The bees go through a hatching cycle, train new bees, process honey, and dance to tell others the locations of flowers. Additionally, if conditions are right, some birth a new queen bee and split off from the main hive. Wells details biological changes that bees undergo during their life cycle as well as their unique genetics and characteristics. Although often perceived as a collective species, Wells examines ways in which bees’ individuality is beneficial for the hive as because discrete preferences in foraging habits and temperature can increase biological diversity and survival chances. He also analyzes the effects of climate change and agricultural monoculture on bee populations and notes the experiments that uncovered insights into bee behavior. This informative and beautifully illustrated volume, full of fascinating, sharable facts, will appeal to novice bee enthusiasts.""

Author Information

DENNIS WELLS is a filmmaker who has developed, produced, and directed science and history documentaries for the Smithsonian Channel and PBS. JÜRGEN TAUTZ is a sociobiologist and bee expert. He is a professor at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität in Würzburg, where he chairs its bee research group.

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