The Bee Book by D.K. Publishing

The Bee Book Reviews

• 
  Amy

  This is a really beautiful, full-color book by the DK company about bees, keeping bees, and using their wax and honey. While I've become thoroughly convinced that it's far too much trouble and too time-consuming to keep bees, I did learn quite a lot of interesting information while reading this book:
  
  1. It's thought that flowers trick bees into coming back for more and more pollen because "caffeine, nicotine, and a host of other chemicals are found in small quantities in the nectar of certain plants, and the result is similar to the human response to these substances: the bees are stimulated to think they're getting a bigger reward than they actually are. This keeps them coming back for hit after hit..."
  
  2. It's thought that bees originated from their "wasp ancestors [who] kept eating beetles covered in pollen and eventually developed a taste for the pollen instead of beetles."
  
  3. Females are the only bees that sting because "the sting is a modification of the egg-laying apparatus."
  
  4. The male drones have no fathers. They exist to mate with queens from different colonies for genetic diversity (and die after a few seconds of mating). Within a hive, there are workers whose sole job is to destroy any eggs not carrying their own queen's scent. That makes more sense than a totally incestual hive.
  
  5. Queen bees can sting repeatedly, but they only do so to murder competitor queens. "When a virgin queen emerges from her cell, the first thing she is likely to do is kill her rivals for the throne. she does this by stinging the unemerged queens through their cells."
  
  6. A bee's waggle dance indicates where food is found in relationship to the sun. If the dance is a clock, the sun would be at 12 o'clock and the waggle part is done at the angle of the food from the sun. A slow dance means the food is far away. A quick dance means it's close by.
  
  So whether you're curious about bees or want to start to keep bees, this is a good starter book.
• 
  Luanne Ollivier

  Earth Day is "the world's largest environmental movement" and is celebrated on April 22. But, really every day should be Earth Day. And one of the most important players in our ecosystem. "At least 30% of the world’s crops and 90% of all plants require cross-pollination to spread and thrive, and here in Canada, bees are our most important pollinators."
  
  I recently received a hive kit as a gift. I'm pretty excited to get started, but the instructions included were quite minimal. I just knew that DK Canada would have a book that would give me all the information I need. And they did - The Bee Book!
  
  But before even getting to setting up a hive, you need to know more about the bees themselves. The first few chapters of The Bee Book give you just that - history, evolution, decline, species and an in depth look at honey bees that was absolutely fascinating."1 LB of honey takes up to 40,000 miles of flying to produce." " A worker can visit up to 2000 flowers a day." And did you know about the honey bee waggle dance?
  
  How to attract bees is the next entry. Flowers (there are colour photos and descriptions of many varieties), vegetable garden plans, houses (separate from hives), the how and the whys.
  
  Next was caring for bees. I had absolutely zero knowledge before reading The Bee Book. I was happy to find a box similar to mine explained. Where to set up and why. And dealing with the thing that does frighten me a bit - getting stung. Tools, equipment and care are covered. And let's not forge - you need to actually have bees to start - where to get them? There is much more to caring for bees than providing a hive. This seems somewhat daunting, but there are detailed, very clear instructions included.
  
  And after all that hard work (more on the part of the bees I think!) - the harvest! Jarred honey, beeswax candles, beeswax polish, soaps and even some health remedies.
  
  Am I ready to start my own hive? Well, I feel much more prepared now thanks to The Bee Book. But I'll be referring to it often! The Bee Book has detailed entries, colour photos and is well laid out with easy to read text boxes. (exactly what I've come to know and appreciate from all DK books)
• 
  Jelle

  Een compleet en informatief boek voor iedereen die geïnteresseerd is in het gedrag van bijen, hoe je ze kan helpen en hoe je ze kan houden
• 
  Beth

  Bees have been a hot topic for a few years now, primarily due to the mysterious deaths of entire colonies and the ensuing research to try and figure out what was going wrong. However, bees have been vital to our lives and our economy for many, many years before that. This humble insect pollinates a majority of our food sources, along with providing honey and wax for a variety of things, and those flowers and plants that they depend on are becoming harder and harder to find. The Bee Book takes an in-depth look at the bee, including its history as we know it, the science behind the insect, how to grow a pollinator garden, or even how to keep bees, and ideas of things to make with honey and beeswax.
  
  DK often puts out high-quality materials, but this might be the best-looking DK book I've seen. It's quality paper, and lovely hardcover, and many colorful images throughout. Honestly, this isn't necessarily meant to be read like a novel, but that's exactly what I did when it arrived. It was so full of facts and information that I had never heard before (Did you know there is a bee just about the size of the small letter "o" you just looked at? There is!), and complementary artwork, that I really didn't want to put it down.
  
  Most people who get this book aren't necessarily going to read it like I did, but instead will use it for the practical information. The section on the best plants for a pollinator garden was terrific and accompanied by color pictures. Since I've been thinking about doing something like this in the back yard, it will certainly come in handy. The recipes in the back I'm also looking forward to trying, such as that for Honey & Lavender Soap and Soothing Sunburn Lotion. Though be aware - the soap recipe is a cold-process recipe.
  
  Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised at how wonderful this book is. I really had wondered how they could do a full-length, hardcover book on bees, but - they more than managed. It would make an excellent addition to any classroom, particularly when studying pollinators. It also has excellent information for anyone contemplating having their own hives. It's a terrific resource and yet pretty enough to be a coffee-table book.
• 
  Ailbhe

  I had a vague idea about wanted to keep bees before reading this book and now I'm 100% sure that I do. Definitely a book for beginners, detailing the basics. Recipes in the last chapter are a really nice addition. The first chapter is fascinating, giving background on natural history, behaviour, anatomy, etc, with beautiful illustrations.
  
  This kept me fascinated for three days in work. That's impressive.
• 
  Adrian

  A beautifully written book which is educational and informative. I particularly found it useful when it explains which plants to use in your garden. We all need to give a helping hand to these wonderful creatures.Well worth a read
• 
  Claire Marshall

  Lovely book. Lots of great photos and tips. I'm definitely going to keep referring to it now my bees are here!
• 
  Jacquie Slade

  Another amazing book to read for beekeepers. So much useful information. I find myself going back to it every season change to freshen up on any facts I may have forgotten to keep my bees happy and healthy.
• 
  Kim

  The Bee Book is a terrifically informative read detailing everything you could possibly want to know about bees and the lives they lead. It is marvelous that we could know so much about the intricacies of their existence! This fab book brings to mind elementary school and the great text books we had to learn from - with lots of great graphics and loads of detailed facts from their anatomy and the way their wings work and so much more.
  
  I read this because I am fascinated by bees, and always stop to help one in distress, and because I have toyed with the idea of keeping bees. I can say definitely that I will not after reading this book. There is just so much that could go wrong and imperil the bees in my care, I don't want to take that risk. Plus, keeping 'domesticated' bees might put a strain on the wild varieties that already exist here so I don't want to tamper with that careful balance. Best to continue providing habitat for wild bees and as many nectar-producing plants as possible.
  
  But, if you are looking to keep bees, there is no better guide. This documents all sorts of things to be on the look out for when caring for your small charges. From dealing with pests, feeding them over winter to caring for the group as a whole, this book describes all you could need to know.
  
  If you aren't looking to keep bees, that's ok too as this book gives clues on best forage plants for them and plenty of information on giving them a suitable environment to find the nectar they need whether you live in the country or the heart of a city. So much useful guidance packed into this beautiful book. It is a must read if you want to do your bit to help our precious, hardworking pollinators.
• 
  Sarah

  I didn't read this book to review it like other books. I didn't even read it like other books! I've flicked through each individual page to see what was best for me to know and what I felt was important and now I own it as a baseboard for bee and honey related information which is excellent!
  
  I really liked the first half of the book with all the facts and information about bees the most. Learning about species, about patterns, queens and hives was interesting. Then moving into types of flowers and how we can enhance their survival was wonderful! It made me very happy to read, especially as someone who probably cannot own bees due to allergies. Which is what the second half of the book looked at, as well as uses for honey! So it's a fully encompassing bee dictionary and it's yeah, very beautiful!
  
  Pros:
  -Amazing illustrations
  -Lots of fun facts
  -Nicely set out
  -I just love it?
  -binding and material is great
  
  Cons:
  -It's 17 Euros which is about $28AUD, but we're still being charged $39.99 here? That feels a bit wrong and not economical at all and I don't know that the bees would approve
  -it's very heavy and I would be scared if I accidentally dropped it on a bee.
• 
  Daniel

  This is another fun book to read about bees. My favorite chapter was the chapter about attracting bees. I have to build a bamboo bee house, the clay bee house, the wood block house, and the pallet hotel. And I wish I could plant every one of the plants. Bring on the bees.
  I also liked the two pages about changing comb. In other books I read that its good to change brood comb ever 2 years or so but, I don't recall those other books saying how to change the comb. So it was interesting to read about the Bailey and shook swarm method. I learn something never every time I read another book about bees. Bees are awesome.
  I have not kept bees in a beehive so I don't know if I would like it or be any good at it. I do want to try keeping bees. It sounds so interesting. I do know one thing. I like growing pants and I want to plant plants that will attract bees. This was defiantly worth the read. The pictures were nice to look at also.
• 
  S

  Love this book!
  
  So much about bees you never knew. (and I knew more than the average bear, but still learned a lot!)
  Fascinating overview, great pictures... an excellent book for adults and for kids. Interesting whether you want to keep bees, have a garden, create your own bee product products (!), or just learn more about these amazing creatures.
  
  Can't wait to make me some bee boxes (if not a whole hotel)...
• 
  Sam

  This is a beautiful and comprehensive guide to all things bee, from their evolutionary origins and biology right through to how to support them as a gardener and start and maintain them as a beekeeper. As well as being comprehensive and well researched, it is also a beautiful book in and of itself combining photos and illustrations as well as a surprisingly enjoyable and reader friendly layout that allows for both 'normal' reading and dipping in and out as needed.
• 
  Carolyn Semple faucher

  I would consider this a valuable supplement book but not a complete guide to beekeeping. It is a large book but only contains about 50 pages of beekeeping information.
  It has beautiful watercolour pictures with lots of information about bees of all kind, including mason, bumble, leaf cutter, and more.
  Very enjoyable book to read. I wish I could give it 4 1/2 stars.
• 
  Laurie

  Very interesting books on how they evolved into what they are today. Has info on some flowers for certain bee species like. Etc. Also it has great info on becoming beekeeper, their behaviors, few recipes to work with honey/wax.
  
  I highly recommend this book for anyone who have interest in bees.
• 
  Melissa

  This is one of the first books I read before becoming a beekeeper. It's simple, visual, and highly informative. I highly recommend this book for new beekeepers or anyone generally interested in learning more about honeybees.
• 
  Tobi

  Straightforward but brimful of information. Beautifully laid out and with great infographics. A really pleasurable read.
• 
  Rich Thorne

  Great book. I am adding this to my book shelf as a quick reference guide. It has nice layout, big bright pictures and clealy defined sections.
• 
  Shelly Nicholson

  This is by far the easiest, but most informative book about bees I have read to date. If you want to know more about bees or may be entertaining the idea of keeping bees, this is a must read.
• 
  Trish

  This is a great book to get if you want to keep bees.
• 
  Meghan

  Great info for a hobbyist beekeeper like myself, with amazing photography and art on every page. A visually appealing book filled with good information.
• 
  Indah Threez Lestari

  486 - 2020
• 
  Abby Frye

  Very informative without overloading the reader. Not just about bees but a lot of hows tos i.e. how to support bees, how to be a bee keeper, how to make things with honey and honey comb.