Bees for Development Journal 132 September 2019
BOOKSHELF The Joy of Bees Paolo Fontana with English translation by Paul Tout 2019 710 pages Hardcover £37.50 This new, fabulous and entertaining 700 page text could become a classic! It is the English translation of Paolo Fontana’s original Italian text Il Piacere delle Api. Paolo is a member of a group of Italian beekeepers and bee-thinkers who have established a protocol for Biodiversity Friendly Beekeeping based on good principles. This book sets out the reasoned arguments supporting the protocol’s advocacy for beekeeping practice that best respect biodiversity – such as the use of local (and never hybrid) bees, the great importance of natural comb, keeping colonies in the same place throughout the year, and many other factors. However this is not by any means a standard beekeeping text, for example there are three pages of quotes from Aristotle about bees, hundreds of other quotes from ancient and modern life, and dozens of pictures and diagrams featuring bees, beekeeping, nature and human history. It is a wonderful compendium of knowledge – and all provided in highly readable, entertaining and informative sections, with references on almost every page that themselves add further interest.
The Garden Jungle or Gardening to save the Planet Dave Goulson 2019 280 pages Hardcover £16.99 Dave Goulson is an excellent story-teller, able to make science entertaining and readable – this is his latest, delightful book, introducing us to the world at our feet. Dave explains that even the tiniest scrap of garden contains hundreds of species of insects, plants and small animals, of whom we know little. This book will help you to understand more – each chapter begins with a recipe – leading to ingredients discussed in the chapter. Gardens offer a huge network made up from tiny nature reserves where humans and wildlife should live in harmony. Goulson deftly addresses the damage unwittingly caused to the environment by gardeners buying intensively reared plants in disposable plastic pots, sprayed with chemicals, and in precious peat cut from the earth. With a few small changes, we could – and must – do so much better.
Dancing with bees – a journey back to nature Brigit Strawbridge Howard 2019 304 pages Hardcover £20 Another excellent writer and story-teller, Brigit’s life is full of discovery, with bees at the heart of her story. This charming and enjoyable book is full of natural history detail about bees and will inspire you to take far greater interest in the different species with which we live: cuckoo bees, solitary bees, and bumble bees as well as honey bees. Brigit is a stalwart advocate for bees and rather than lecturing with frightening facts about their decline, she achieves success by discussing the delight to be gained from knowing about bees and perceiving them as they are: wonderous, accessible and endearing animals in urgent need of our protection. This book is beautifully illustrated by John Walters. Brigit will be speaking in Monmouth, at the Shire Hall, as part of the Monmouth Bee Town series of Bee Talks. Free to attend – just come along to the Shire Hall at 7 pm on 5 November. You can buy copies of the book, signed by Brigit, on the night, or from our shop in Monmouth or at www.shop.beesfd.org
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