The Lives of Bees

The Lives of Bees PDF

Author: Thomas D. Seeley

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2019-05-28

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 0691166765

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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.

The Biology of the Honey Bee

The Biology of the Honey Bee PDF

Author: Mark L. Winston

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 1991-04-01

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 0674744209

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From ancient cave paintings of honey bee nests to modern science’s richly diversified investigation of honey bee biology and its applications, the human imagination has long been captivated by the mysterious and highly sophisticated behavior of this paragon among insect societies. In the first broad treatment of honey bee biology to appear in decades, Mark Winston provides rare access to the world of this extraordinary insect. In a bright and engaging style, Winston probes the dynamics of the honey bee’s social organization. He recreates for us the complex infrastructure of the nest, describes the highly specialized behavior of workers, queens, and drones, and examines in detail the remarkable ability of the honey bee colony to regulate its functions according to events within and outside the nest. Winston integrates into his discussion the results of recent studies, bringing into sharp focus topics of current bee research. These include the exquisite architecture of the nest and its relation to bee physiology; the intricate division of labor and the relevance of a temporal caste structure to efficient functioning of the colony; and, finally, the life-death struggles of swarming, supersedure, and mating that mark the reproductive cycle of the honey bee. The Biology of the Honey Bee not only reviews the basic aspects of social behavior, ecology, anatomy, physiology, and genetics, it also summarizes major controversies in contemporary honey bee research, such as the importance of kin recognition in the evolution of social behavior and the role of the well-known dance language in honey bee communication. Thorough, well-illustrated, and lucidly written, this book will for many years be a valuable resource for scholars, students, and beekeepers alike.

Neurobiology of Chemical Communication

Neurobiology of Chemical Communication PDF

Author: Carla Mucignat-Caretta

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2014-02-14

Total Pages: 614

ISBN-13: 1466553413

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Intraspecific communication involves the activation of chemoreceptors and subsequent activation of different central areas that coordinate the responses of the entire organism—ranging from behavioral modification to modulation of hormones release. Animals emit intraspecific chemical signals, often referred to as pheromones, to advertise their presence to members of the same species and to regulate interactions aimed at establishing and regulating social and reproductive bonds. In the last two decades, scientists have developed a greater understanding of the neural processing of these chemical signals. Neurobiology of Chemical Communication explores the role of the chemical senses in mediating intraspecific communication. Providing an up-to-date outline of the most recent advances in the field, it presents data from laboratory and wild species, ranging from invertebrates to vertebrates, from insects to humans. The book examines the structure, anatomy, electrophysiology, and molecular biology of pheromones. It discusses how chemical signals work on different mammalian and non-mammalian species and includes chapters on insects, Drosophila, honey bees, amphibians, mice, tigers, and cattle. It also explores the controversial topic of human pheromones. An essential reference for students and researchers in the field of pheromones, this is also an ideal resource for those working on behavioral phenotyping of animal models and persons interested in the biology/ecology of wild and domestic species.

Buzz

Buzz PDF

Author: Thor Hanson

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 2018-07-10

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 0465098800

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As seen on PBS's American Spring LIVE, the award-winning author of The Triumph of Seeds and Feathers presents a natural and cultural history of bees: the buzzing wee beasties that make the world go round. Bees are like oxygen: ubiquitous, essential, and, for the most part, unseen. While we might overlook them, they lie at the heart of relationships that bind the human and natural worlds. In Buzz, the beloved Thor Hanson takes us on a journey that begins 125 million years ago, when a wasp first dared to feed pollen to its young. From honeybees and bumbles to lesser-known diggers, miners, leafcutters, and masons, bees have long been central to our harvests, our mythologies, and our very existence. They've given us sweetness and light, the beauty of flowers, and as much as a third of the foodstuffs we eat. And, alarmingly, they are at risk of disappearing. As informative and enchanting as the waggle dance of a honeybee, Buzz shows us why all bees are wonders to celebrate and protect. Read this book and you'll never overlook them again.

Explore Honey Bees!

Explore Honey Bees! PDF

Author: Cindy Blobaum

Publisher: Nomad Press

Published: 2015-06-22

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1619302888

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What did you have for breakfast this morning? Toast, cereal, juice, and fruit? Thank the honey bees! About one out of every three mouthfuls we eat is affected by honey bee pollination. In Explore Honey Bees! With 25 Great Projects, young readers learn about honey bee colonies, why honey bees live in hives, how honey bees communicate with each other, and why they are so important to human lives. Colony collapse disorder first appeared in 2006 and since then beekeepers have seen disappearances of 30 to 90 percent of their bee colonies each year. Readers learn about possible reasons behind and solutions to this growing global problem. Explore Honey Bees! offers a glimpse into a miniature world familiar to children. Activities include designing a hive and making a model of a flower’s reproductive system, reinforcing the math and science skills readers gain from the text. Fun facts and colorful illustrations make learning fun and exciting. Links to online primary sources integrate a digital learning experience and offer opportunities to delve deeper into the world of honey bees. This title meets Common Core State Standards in language arts, science and technology; Guided Reading Levels and Lexile measurements indicate grade level and text complexity.

The Bees

The Bees PDF

Author: Laline Paull

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2014-05-06

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0062331167

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The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Hunger Games in this brilliantly imagined debut set in an ancient culture where only the queen may breed and deformity means death. Flora 717 is a sanitation worker, a member of the lowest caste in her orchard hive where work and sacrifice are the highest virtues and worship of the beloved Queen the only religion. But Flora is not like other bees. With circumstances threatening the hive’s survival, her curiosity is regarded as a dangerous flaw but her courage and strength are an asset. She is allowed to feed the newborns in the royal nursery and then to become a forager, flying alone and free to collect pollen. She also finds her way into the Queen’s inner sanctum, where she discovers mysteries about the hive that are both profound and ominous. But when Flora breaks the most sacred law of all—daring to challenge the Queen’s fertility—enemies abound, from the fearsome fertility police who enforce the strict social hierarchy to the high priestesses jealously wedded to power. Her deepest instincts to serve and sacrifice are now overshadowed by an even deeper desire, a fierce maternal love that will bring her into conflict with her conscience, her heart, her society—and lead her to unthinkable deeds. Thrilling, suspenseful and spectacularly imaginative, The Bees gives us a dazzling young heroine and will change forever the way you look at the world outside your window.

Bad Beekeeping

Bad Beekeeping PDF

Author: Ron Miksha

Publisher: Trafford Publishing

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781412006279

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A million pounds of honey. Produced by a billion bees! This memoir reconstructs the life of a young man from Pennsylvania as he drops into the bald prairie badlands of southern Saskatchewan. He buys a honey ranch and keeps the bees that make the honey. But he also spends winters in Florida swamps, nurse-maid to ten thousand dainty queen bees. From the dusty Canadian prairie to the thick palmetto swamps of the American south, the reader meets with simple folks who shape the protagonist's character - including a Cree rancher with three sons playing NHL hockey, a Hutterite preacher who yearns to roam the globe, a reclusive bee-eating homesteader, and a grey-headed widow who grows grapefruit, plays a nasty game of scrabble, and lives with four vicious dogs. Encompassing a ten-year period, this true story evolves from the earnest inexperience of the young man as he learns an art and builds a business. Carefully researched natural biology runs counterpoint to human social activities. Bee craft serves as the setting for expositions that contrast American and Canadian lifestyles, while exemplifying the harsh reality of a man working with and against the physical environment.

Can You See If I'm a Bee?

Can You See If I'm a Bee? PDF

Author: Melissa Garrick Edwards

Publisher: Dorrance Publishing

Published: 2021-08-13

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 1648042414

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Can You See If I'm a Bee? By: Melissa Garrick Edwards Illustrated by: Jonathan Woodward Did you know that there are over 20,000 species of bees and that the honeybee is not the best pollinator of them all? This book teaches children all about bees in a rhyming, whimsical way. They learn about some of the different species of bees and insects that resemble or mimic them. Children will be surprised that all bees don’t look alike. There are fun facts about some of the bees and children are also taught why bees are so important and what they can do to help save these essential pollinators from extinction. At the end of the book, an appendix offers more information about the various bee specifics and mimics, should elementary school teachers or parents wish to go into further depth teaching the children about bees. There is no other children's book like this one - take a look and see! Kirkus Review: Edwards' illustrated nonfiction children's book explores various types of bees and other insects. "What is a bee? Let's find out why they are so important to you and me!" This well-crafted, fact-filled book by landscape architect-turned-children's book author Edwards and veteran wildlife illustrator Woodward provides answers with rhyming text and eye-catching images. The work highlights the importance of bees to the planet and introduces some of the remarkably varied members of the bee family to curious young readers. The book begins with a clear, straightforward description of the insects' anatomy and life cycle and their specific roles in nature. It continues with playful but informative "first-person" profiles of a sampling of the world's more than 20,000 bee species, including familiar honeybees, less-well-known cuckoo bees ("I'm a very sneaky bee; / I use other bees to raise my young for me"), dwarf honeybees, green sweat bees, long-horned bees, leafcutter bees, mighty carpenter bees, "head-bonking" carder bees, and others. Some of the pages, colorfully illustrated by Woodward, offer fascinating portraits of "wanna bees"-insects that might be mistaken for bees-including certain wasps, predatory robber flies, hover flies ("Surpri­se! I'm not a bee / But looking like one is important to me"), and even a furry hummingbird moth. The book's final pages are devoted to more in-depth information, which adults can easily share with children who are interested in expanding their knowledge about how bees' ecosystems are threatened and why it's important to protect them. A book of entomological facts and authoritative illustrations, all delivered with a light, child-friendly touch.

Sweetness and Light

Sweetness and Light PDF

Author: Hattie Ellis

Publisher: Crown

Published: 2010-04-28

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 0307547868

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Did you know that Abraham Lincoln and Muhammad Ali both consumed bee pollen to boost energy, or that beekeepers in nineteenth-century Europe viewed their bees as part of the family? Or that after man, the honeybee, Apis mellifera, is the most studied creature on the planet? And that throughout history, honey has been highly valued by the ancient Egyptians (the first known beekeepers), the Greeks, and European monarchs, as well as Winnie the Pooh? In Sweetness and Light, Hattie Ellis leads us into the hive, revealing the fascinating story of bees and honey from the Stone Age to the present, from Nepalese honey hunters to urban hives on the rooftops of New York City. Uncovering the secrets of the honeybee one by one, Ellis shows how this small insect, with a collective significance so much greater than its individual size, can carry us through past and present to tell us more about ourselves than any other living creature.