2 minute read
Bookshelf
A buzz in the meadow
Dave Goulson
2014 266 pages £8.99 (US$13.70; €12.40) Published by Vintage Books ISBN 9780099597698
In this highly readable, as well as highly informative book, Goulson makes clear how the lives of every species (some of them insects) are woven together with other animals, plants, fungi, viruses and bacteria. His story focusses mainly on a small area of undamaged meadows in France. Did you know that some flowers offer thermal rewards for bees - providing a cosy place to sleep overnight and warming quickly in the morning? Only in the closing part of the book are the effects of insecticides discussed. Who knew, for example, that here in the UK, urban trees are sometimes injected with neonicotinoids to prevent the aphids whose honeydew might prove unsightly and sticky for parked cars? Keeping urban cars clean surely comes at a great cost for aphid-eating insects and birds. A very well written and enlightening book.
Queen rearing essentials
Lawrence John Connor
2015 (2nd edition) 160 pages £16 (US$25; €22) Published by Wicwas Press ISBN 9781878075413
The first marvellous thing to attract any beekeeper to this book is the abundance of excellent colour photographs, making it very appealing. The author is a great expert in queen rearing as well as in teaching and writing – with the consequence that this is a clear and excellent guide. After ten chapters describing practical aspects, the author discusses inbreeding of bees and wider topics. Whether or not you want to undertake queen rearing, this book is full of up-to-date and interesting details concerning the process.
Garden plants for honey bees
Peter Lindtner
2014 396 pages Hardcover £22 (US$34; €31) Published by Wicwas Press ISBN 9781878075376
Originally from Czechoslovakia and now living and working in Delaware, USA, Peter Lindtner is an accomplished horticulturist, beekeeper and inspired bee friendly gardener. His book is full of beautiful pictures that he uses to explain the wonderful relationship between pollinators and plants. He includes a rating system that shows the importance of each plant to honey bee nutrition (nectar and pollen), ecological and taxonomic information about each plant and electron micrographs of pollen grains. The book relates to the flowering season in the USA (February to November).
Do beekeeping – the secret to happy honeybees
Orren Fox
2015 141 pages £8.99 (US$16.95; €15.25) Published by The Do Book Company ISBN 9781907974205
This pocket size book charts the journey of 18 year old Orren Fox from when he became a beekeeper. He describes the first day he worked with bees, and as a human “finding it hard to fully appreciate the organisation at work in front of him”, the excitement of bottling his first jar of honey, and the relief of discovering that his colony survived the winter. The behaviour of honey bees and life cycle of the colony are covered along with information on equipment, feeding bees, harvesting honey and diseases and pests. The book is part of a series of titles designed to help the reader learn something new and be motivated to “Do” it.
