Bookshelf

CD: FIRST AFRICAN HONEY TRADE WORKSHOP

Bees for Development, 2006 £10 (€15) Code VID40

For two days prior to the Apimondia Congress in Ireland in August 2005, BfD organised the First African Honey Trade Workshop as part of our DFID/BLCF Project on African Honey. The specific x 1V€ purpose of the Workshop was to enable honey marketing organisations in Africa and other developing countries to understand requirements for honey intended for WILSON participants and information on legislation (up to date at October 2006) that applies to honey imports to the EU.

THE HIVE: THE STORY OF THE HONEYBEE AND US a»9

Bee Wilson 2005 308 pages Soft cover £7.99 (€12) Code W610

This book is an exploration of the ‘magical’ relationship between honey bees and humans. The honey bee has always been recognised as one of the wonders of nature: social, industrious, beautiful, and even terrifying. Bee Wilson comments in her introduction that when reading books on political theory from centuries ago, and also from writers including Aristotle and Shakespeare, she constantly found the honey bee community used as a model for human society. Finding this both ‘interesting and odd’, her desire to find out more culminated in this book. Although not a beekeeper the long list of 'pee' names in the acknowledgements shows how much Ms Wilson pursued her interest to produce this book of fascinating facts. Nevertheless we are disappointed that Bees for Development is omitted from * the list of those consulted - especially when we are referred to briefly in chapter 6 and summarised with the words . "there is a kind of enduring zeal to these people, with their good works".

BEES AND HONEY: FROM FLOWER TO JAR

Michael Weiler 2006 144 pages Soft cover £8.99 (€13) Code W620

The narrative style of this book sets it apart from others intended for the novice beekeeper, or interested non- beekeeper, because it reads like a novel but is backed up by both experienced beekeeping and scientific knowledge, I can also see that beekeepers and bee experts may be able to look at bees in a different way and begin to deepen their knowledge of bee nature as well. The author is someone with an obvious passion for beekeeping. I was impressed by the translation from German. My only complaint is exemplified when Weiler describes a queen bee's legs as ‘having a reddish gleam' and the accompanying photograph is in black and white, as are all the photographs. It would have been nice to see that gleam too.

Reviewed by Ronald Pritchard

BEES OF THE WORLD

Christopher O'Toole & Anthony Raw 2004 edition 192 pages Hard cover £24.50 (€36.80) Code 0150

This is the reprint of the book enjoyed by anyone with a liking for bees. colour) and helpful diagrams. The book explains what bees are, and how they differ from other insects. Most bee species are solitary and the life cycles of mining, mason, leaf-cutter and carder bees are described. The road leading to social honey bees and stingless bees is then discussed. The final chapter focuses on bees and flowers, with a whole chapter devoted to the unlikely partners: bees and orchids. The idea of the male honey bee as the lazy feckless drone, relying on workers to feed him has permeated our culture. To set the record straight the authors have devoted a whole chapter to males of the species carefully emphasising the vital role of male bees. How unfortunate that the picture on the cover of this new edition is a fly!

HONEY AND DUST

Piers Moore Ede 2006 295 pages Now in soft cover £8.99 (€13.50) Code M560S

Suffering from a hit-and-run road accident, Piers Moore Ede was smitten by interest in the gentle craft of beekeeping. As part of his recovery process, he set off (after consulting with Eva Crane) on journeys to seek beekeeping being practised in time-honoured ways. He travels to the Middle East and Asia, visiting beekeepers in Lebanon and Syria, and honey hunters in Nepal and Sri Lanka. Moore Ede brings a fresh, engaging and sensitive account of these activities. He gets to know the people he is with, and manages to convey the importance of bees and honey within their lives. This enjoyable book conveys last minute awareness of the rich apicultural diversity that is all too fast disappearing.

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