The Little Book of Bees [Hardcover]

Karl Weiss (Author), C.H. Vergara (Assistant)

Book Description

Series: Little Book Series | Publication Date: September 23, 2002

The more we learn about bees, the more extraordinary they seem. They have five eyes and beat their wings at almost 200 cycles per second. And to communicate with each other bees do make sounds but also dance. This book, packed with over 30 figures, gives a fascinating insight into the extraordinary complex and highly organised world of bees. The author, K. Weiss, explains the critical role that bees and bee-keeping play for human society, and offers advice for those interested in raising bees.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews:

"The authors Karl Weiss and Carlos H. Vergara give a startling view into the surprisingly complex and highly organized world of bees. The book describes not only the evolution of our honeybee, but also of dozens of types of wild bees. It sheds light on bee society, with its amazing rituals related to work, reproduction, defense of the hive, and, most amazingly, communication, and it even provides helpful advice for those interested in helping bees nest." (Science in Africa, November, 2002)

"This book introduces bees in a nontechnical style understandable to general readers. This reviewer found it enjoyable and learned many interesting facts. … Recommended to anyone who wants to learn more about bees … ." (R. C. Graves, Choice, February, 2003)

"This charming introduction, written for a general audience, is primarily devoted to describing the various kinds of bees, their history and role in the ecosystem, and their private and social lives. Entomologists Weiss and Vergara are engagingly enthusiastic about their topic. Presented in a charming small format … ." (SciTech Book News, December, 2002)

"Great things to do, indeed, sometimes come in small packages, and The Little Book of Bees provides the proof. Packed into a tightly written book of 150 small pages is a goldmine of information about bees. … At all times, the book is intelligently written, easily read by the layman while also offering serious bits of science to those who want to know more. Any reader can learn a lot from this book." (Epinions.com, January, 2003)

"A beautifully presented book. It provides a thoughtful, precise and readable text that will be appreciated by anyone wanting to lean more about the many different kinds of bees, of which the best known honeybees and bumblebees are but a tiny minority. … Illustrated with excellent line drawings." (Beekeeping & Development, Issue 66, March, 2003)

"I opened the book with some trepidation, but found that I had entered a treasure trove of information about species of bees, both known and entirely unknown to me – and I rapidly became absorbed in its content! … The social development of many of the solitary bees is effectively described, together with their unique mating behaviour, whilst defence strategies are carefully considered for the location and materials used in the building of brood nests against threats posed … . This is an excellent ‘little book’." (Beekeeping, February, 2003)

"Weiss is a great admirer of the sophisticated structures built by bees and tries to share his enthusiasm with a broader audience in this dainty, unassuming book co-written with Carlos Vergara. He charts the development of their social systems from the various primitive groups of solitary bees, through the beginnings of cooperative systems in the stingless and bumble bees to the pinnacle of achievement in the honey bee Apis mellifera, whose colonies may contain up to 80,000 individuals." (New Scientist, November, 2002)

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (September 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0387952527
• ISBN-13: 978-0387952529
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,767,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something to Buzz About, December 28, 2002

By 

"mrsfaganselves" (huntington, ny United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Little Book of Bees (Hardcover)

Great things do, indeed, sometimes come in small packages, and The Little Book of Bees provides the proof.

Packed into a tightly written book of 150 small pages is a goldmine of information about bees. Despite the rather cute title (one of a series of similarly named books from Copernicus Books), this book is a serious look at the life of bees, written for the non-scientist.

The book opens with an overview of bees and their place in the animal kingdom and throughout earth's history and moves on to:

The bee as an insect, examining its anatomy and abilities
The social life of bees, looking at bees in larger social structures, family associations, within the colony and classification systems

The traits of bees

Solitary bees and their social development (or lack thereof)

Bumblebees and stingless bees

The types of bees and where they fit in, including a look at honeybee language, the development of new hives and sensory abilities.

At all times, the book is intelligently written, easily read by the layman while also offering serious bits of science to those who want to know more. Any reader can learn a lot from this book. For example, I never knew there was such a thing as a stingless bee. Sounds harmless, right? Ha! Here's what author Karl Weiss says about them:

<I>Stingless bees are not defenseless, though....If a curious person comes too close to their nest, he can be badly injured. The disturbed bees hurl themselves at him and bite him in the skin and hair, holding on tightly. In addition, some species spray a sticky, acrid secretion from their mandibular glands into the bite wounds that can leave permanent scars. Thus, fire bees or hair-cutting bees are fitting names for these species."</I>

Hmm, just want you want buzzing around your backyard.
The book contains numerous black-and-white illustrations showing bee anatomy, hive construction, nest development and honeycombs. While none of the illustrations are fancy or colorful, all are worth examination.

Weiss is an entomologist and the director of the Bavarian Beekeeping Institute at Erlangen, Germany. His co-author, entomologist Carlos H. Vergara, is from the Universidad de las Americas, in Puebla, Mexico.