Following the Wild Bees

Following the Wild Bees PDF Author: Thomas D. Seeley
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691191247
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 185

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Book Description
A how-to book on an exhilarating outdoor activity and a unique meditation on the pleasures of the natural world Following the Wild Bees is a delightful foray into the pastime of bee hunting, an exhilarating outdoor activity that used to be practiced widely but which few people know about today. Weaving informative discussions of bee biology with colorful anecdotes, personal insights, and beautiful photos, Thomas Seeley describes the history and science behind this lost pastime and how anyone can do it. The bee hunter’s reward is a thrilling encounter with nature that challenges mind and body while also giving insights into the remarkable behavior of honey bees living in the wild. Whether you’re a bee enthusiast or just curious about the natural world, this book is the ideal companion for newcomers to bee hunting and a rare treat for armchair naturalists.

Following the Wild Bees

Following the Wild Bees PDF Author: Thomas D. Seeley
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691191247
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 185

Get Book Here

Book Description
A how-to book on an exhilarating outdoor activity and a unique meditation on the pleasures of the natural world Following the Wild Bees is a delightful foray into the pastime of bee hunting, an exhilarating outdoor activity that used to be practiced widely but which few people know about today. Weaving informative discussions of bee biology with colorful anecdotes, personal insights, and beautiful photos, Thomas Seeley describes the history and science behind this lost pastime and how anyone can do it. The bee hunter’s reward is a thrilling encounter with nature that challenges mind and body while also giving insights into the remarkable behavior of honey bees living in the wild. Whether you’re a bee enthusiast or just curious about the natural world, this book is the ideal companion for newcomers to bee hunting and a rare treat for armchair naturalists.

The Lives of Bees

The Lives of Bees PDF Author: Thomas D. Seeley
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691166765
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 370

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Book Description
Seeley, a world authority on honey bees, sheds light on why wild honey bees are still thriving while those living in managed colonies are in crisis. Drawing on the latest science as well as insights from his own pioneering fieldwork, he describes in extraordinary detail how honey bees live in nature and shows how this differs significantly from their lives under the management of beekeepers. Seeley presents an entirely new approach to beekeeping--Darwinian Beekeeping--which enables honey bees to use the toolkit of survival skills their species has acquired over the past thirty million years, and to evolve solutions to the new challenges they face today. He shows beekeepers how to use the principles of natural selection to guide their practices, and he offers a new vision of how beekeeping can better align with the natural habits of honey bees.

Honeybee Democracy

Honeybee Democracy PDF Author: Thomas D. Seeley
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 140083595X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 283

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Book Description
How honeybees make collective decisions—and what we can learn from this amazing democratic process Honeybees make decisions collectively—and democratically. Every year, faced with the life-or-death problem of choosing and traveling to a new home, honeybees stake everything on a process that includes collective fact-finding, vigorous debate, and consensus building. In fact, as world-renowned animal behaviorist Thomas Seeley reveals, these incredible insects have much to teach us when it comes to collective wisdom and effective decision making. A remarkable and richly illustrated account of scientific discovery, Honeybee Democracy brings together, for the first time, decades of Seeley's pioneering research to tell the amazing story of house hunting and democratic debate among the honeybees. In the late spring and early summer, as a bee colony becomes overcrowded, a third of the hive stays behind and rears a new queen, while a swarm of thousands departs with the old queen to produce a daughter colony. Seeley describes how these bees evaluate potential nest sites, advertise their discoveries to one another, engage in open deliberation, choose a final site, and navigate together—as a swirling cloud of bees—to their new home. Seeley investigates how evolution has honed the decision-making methods of honeybees over millions of years, and he considers similarities between the ways that bee swarms and primate brains process information. He concludes that what works well for bees can also work well for people: any decision-making group should consist of individuals with shared interests and mutual respect, a leader's influence should be minimized, debate should be relied upon, diverse solutions should be sought, and the majority should be counted on for a dependable resolution. An impressive exploration of animal behavior, Honeybee Democracy shows that decision-making groups, whether honeybee or human, can be smarter than even the smartest individuals in them.

Following the Wild Bees

Following the Wild Bees PDF Author: Thomas D. Seeley
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691191409
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
Following the Wild Bees is a delightful foray into the pastime of bee hunting, an exhilarating outdoor activity that used to be practiced widely but which few people know about today. Thomas Seeley, a world authority on honey bees, vividly describes the history and science behind this lost pastime and how anyone can do it.

Mason Bee Revolution

Mason Bee Revolution PDF Author: Dave Hunter
Publisher: Mountaineers Books
ISBN: 1594859647
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 371

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Book Description
• Author Dave Hunter is at the leading edge of bee and pollinator issues • Mason bees are part of the solution to honeybees’ decline • No other bee book addresses the topic with such depth and interest • Includes useful information about leafcutter bees too! The national media regularly features dire stories on honeybee colony collapse and its danger to our food supply. But there's another, unsung bee that has the potential to save the planet—the mason bee. Mason Bee Revolution explains how docile, hard-working, solitary mason bees (and their compatriots, the leafcutter bees) are even more productive pollinators than honeybees, and keeping them can be a fun, easy, backyard hobby for gardeners, conservationists, foodies, and families everywhere. Why these bees? Bee pollination is critical for about 80 percent of US agricultural crops, increasing crop value by an estimated $15 billion annually. Since 2006, nearly a third of all honeybee hives have been lost each year, due to parasites, pesticides, habitat loss, climate change, and a newer malady called Colony Collapse Disorder. While scientists search for answers to save the honeybee, Dave Hunter and his company, Crown Bees, are leading the effort to increase the population of other highly efficient pollinators: One mason bee can produce twelve pounds of cherries, via pollination, where it would take sixty honey bees to achieve the same. Mason Bee Revolution is an easy-to-follow guide to keeping both mason and leafcutter bees. It tells you how to set up, care for, and harvest your own bees and what types of plants and habitat encourage mason and leafcutter bees, as well as provides general information on other common pollinators and bee-related facts, projects, and personalities.

Honeybee Ecology

Honeybee Ecology PDF Author: Thomas D. Seeley
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691273596
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
From the acclaimed author of Honeybee Democracy, a classic account of the ecological factors that shape the social lives of honeybees For many years, research on honeybee social life dealt primarily with the physiological processes underlying the social system of the bee rather than the ecological factors that have shaped its societies. Thomas Seeley’s landmark book unites the two approaches, emphasizing ecological studies of honeybee social behavior while also offering fresh perspectives on honeybee behavior and communication. It covers a broad range of topics, from adaptiveness of worker sterility and the economics of nest construction to information-center foraging, individual versus colony level selection, sex ratio evolution, colonial thermoregulation, evolution of colony defense, and adaptive radiation in colony design. Honeybee Ecology presents honeybees as a model system for investigating advanced social life among insects from an evolutionary perspective.

The Bee

The Bee PDF Author: Noah Wilson-Rich
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691182477
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
An incomparable illustrated look at the critical role bees play in the life of our planet Bees pollinate more than 130 fruit, vegetable, and seed crops that we rely on to survive. Bees are also crucial to the reproduction and diversity of flowering plants, and the economic contributions of these irreplaceable insects measure in the tens of billions of dollars each year. Yet bees are dying at an alarming rate, threatening food supplies and ecosystems around the world. In this richly illustrated natural history of the bee, which includes more than 250 color photographs and illustrations, Noah Wilson-Rich and his team of bee experts provide a window into the vitally important role that bees play in the life of our planet. Earth is home to more than 20,000 bee species, from fluorescent-colored orchid bees and sweat bees to flower-nesting squash bees and leaf-cutter bees. This book provides an unmatched account of this astounding diversity, blending an engaging narrative with practical, hands-on discussions of such topics as beekeeping and bee health. It explores our relationship with the bee over evolutionary time, examining how it originated and where it stands today—and what the future holds for humanity and bees alike. Provides an accessible, richly illustrated look at the human–bee relationship over time Features a section on beekeeping and handy guides to identifying, treating, and preventing honey bee diseases Covers bee evolution, ecology, genetics, and physiology Includes a directory of notable bee s Presents a holistic approach to bee health, including organic and integrated pest management techniques Shows how you can help bee populations

Our Native Bees

Our Native Bees PDF Author: Paige Embry
Publisher: Timber Press
ISBN: 1604697695
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
A New York Times 2018 Holiday Gift Selection Honey bees get all the press, but the fascinating story of North America’s native bees—an endangered species essential to our ecosystems and food supplies—is just as crucial. Through interviews with farmers, gardeners, scientists, and bee experts, Our Native Bees explores the importance of native bees and focuses on why they play a key role in gardening and agriculture. The people and stories are compelling: Paige Embry goes on a bee hunt with the world expert on the likely extinct Franklin’s bumble bee, raises blue orchard bees in her refrigerator, and learns about an organization that turns the out-of-play areas in golf courses into pollinator habitats. Our Native Bees is a fascinating, must-read for fans of natural history and science and anyone curious about bees.

The Solitary Bees

The Solitary Bees PDF Author: Bryan N. Danforth
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691189323
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 486

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Book Description
The most up-to-date and authoritative resource on the biology and evolution of solitary bees While social bees such as honey bees and bumble bees are familiar to most people, they comprise less than 10 percent of all bee species in the world. The vast majority of bees lead solitary lives, surviving without the help of a hive and using their own resources to fend off danger and protect their offspring. This book draws on new research to provide a comprehensive and authoritative overview of solitary bee biology, offering an unparalleled look at these remarkable insects. The Solitary Bees uses a modern phylogenetic framework to shed new light on the life histories and evolution of solitary bees. It explains the foraging behavior of solitary bees, their development, and competitive mating tactics. The book describes how they construct complex nests using an amazing variety of substrates and materials, and how solitary bees have co-opted beneficial mites, nematodes, and fungi to provide safe environments for their brood. It looks at how they have evolved intimate partnerships with flowering plants and examines their associations with predators, parasites, microbes, and other bees. This up-to-date synthesis of solitary bee biology is an essential resource for students and researchers, one that paves the way for future scholarship on the subject. Beautifully illustrated throughout, The Solitary Bees also documents the critical role solitary bees play as crop pollinators, and raises awareness of the dire threats they face, from habitat loss and climate change to pesticides, pathogens, parasites, and invasive species.

The Bee Hunter

The Bee Hunter PDF Author: George Harold Edgell
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 1789122589
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 47

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Book Description
Originally published in 1949, this amusing and informative little book gives a charming account of an avocation seriously pursued by the author for fifty summers. It provides as well, with clarity and wit, a manual for lovers of nature (and wild honey) who might wish to undertake this ingenious sport. George Harold Edgell sticks his neck out on the first page and says no other book describing the proper approach to wild bees exists. “It is time,” he says, “for someone who has hunted bees and found bee trees to write the facts.”