Bees
Nature's Little Wonders
- 2008 INDIES Winner
- Silver, Nature (Adult Nonfiction)
Candace Savage uses lay terms to explain the complex communications, resource management, and division of labor of Bees: Nature’s Little Wonders (Greystone Books, 978-1-55365-321-9). Her approach follows the breakthroughs of leading apiary scientists von Frisch, Lindauer, Seeley, and others. Savage believes humans could learn much from bees about collective decision-making, because, “…a swarm of bees is always smarter than the sum of its parts.”
She notes the difficulty that humans have with living in harmony. The fact that thousands of insects in a hive work together for common survival has attracted close observation. Though bees perform specialized tasks which may shift as they age, close study shows they also step in to take care of anything they see neglected when caught up with their own responsibilities.
Bees aren’t the harmonic model when it comes to relations between the queens and female workers and the lowly male drones. The latter are sometimes left to die after having their reproductive parts and entrails ripped from their bodies. As the nectar supply declines and the drones become a drag on resources, they could be stung to death or have their wings pulled off. The upside to being a drone is—well, there isn’t one.
Reviewed by
Todd Mercer
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
