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The Lives of Bees
- Author
- Thomas D. Seeley
- Narrator
- William Hope
- Publisher
- Princeton University Press
- Publish Date
- 28 May 2019
- Run Time
- 10 hours 31 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
This captivating audiobook narrated by William Hope reveals why wild honey bees may hold the key to saving the world's managed bee colonies
Humans have kept honey bees in hives for millennia, yet only in recent decades have biologists begun to investigate how these industrious insects live in the wild.
The Lives of Bees is Thomas Seeley's captivating story of what scientists are learning about the behavior, social life, and survival strategies of honey bees living outside the beekeeper's hive—and how wild honey bees may hold the key to reversing the alarming die-off of the planet's managed honey bee populations.
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.
Engagingly written and deeply personal,
The Lives of Bees reveals how we can become better custodians of honey bees and make use of their resources in ways that enrich their lives as well as our own.
Critics Review
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"[A] beautifully written exposition of the fascinating details of honey bee behaviour, physiology, genetics and interplay with the environment."---Peter Neerup Buhl, International Journal of Environment Studies
International Journal of Environmental Studies
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"Finalist for the PROSE Award in Popular Science and Popular Mathematics, Association of American Publishers"
Association of American Publishers
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"Cornell University biologist Seeley is one of the most beloved authors in the beekeeping community, and with good reason: his writing elucidates the lives of honeybees with clear science and a sense of joyous discovery. Seeley employs that approach here; even non-keepers will appreciate his bee's-eye view of life outside managed apiaries."---Gemma Tarlach, Discover
Discover
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"Elegantly simple in design, the research is expertly synthesized by Seeley to give us a vivid glimpse of how honeybees live when left to their own devices. . . . It is the most complete picture yet of the honeybee's natural history. . . . As the biblical Proverbs 6:6 notes of the ant, we need to go to the bee, 'consider its ways and be wise'. Seeley has done that better than anyone."---Gene Robinson, Nature
Nature
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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"A wealth of information about honeybees based on decades of scientific research."
Kirkus
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"[The Lives of Bees] both celebrates and chronicles the natural history of the honey bee."---Barry Silverstein, Foreword Reviews
Foreword Reviews
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"This book is a surprise and one heck of a good read."---Scott Shalaway, WV News
WV News
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"I was really drawn to Tom Seeley's The Lives of Bees. He IS the bee keeper's bee keeper."---Ira Flatow, Science Friday
Science Friday
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"This is a first class work that should be read by anyone concerned with the alarming decline in pollinators of all taxa, but is especially important for bee keepers and their future as honey producers, and for biologists and landowners anxious to preserve habitat for wild honey bees."---David M. Gascoigne, Travels with Birds
Travels with Birds
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"Written for experts, beekeepers and biology buffs alike. Seeley's fifth book on bees illuminates why wild honeybees across the planet are thriving while managed colonies are under threat."---Krishna Ramanujan, Cornell Chronicle
Cornell Chronicle
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"William Hope narrates this highly informed work with a sharp focus on its scientific language. His clear, frank style helps the listener follow the author's deep dive into the lives of wild honey bees in their natural colonies, as opposed to those raised and kept by beekeepers. . . . This intriguing scientific study . . . elucidates the distinctive methodology of the entomologist and has much to teach."
AudioFile Magazine
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"As one of the great communicators of honey bee science, Tom Seeley has written a superb account . . . This is a book for every beekeeper and anyone interested in the natural world."---Stephen Fleming, Bee Craft
Bee Craft
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"This is a wonderful and original book about honey bees, unlike the numerous 'hand books' which are the staple fare of beekeepers. Professor Seeley has turned the idea of keeping bees on its head, pointing out the many indications that our current methods of exploiting honey bees may be quite harmful to them, or at best, not helpful. . . . so well-researched and presented that I feel it should be basic and essential reading for all beekeepers"
An Beachaire
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"A detailed and well-illustrated work that will fascinate both curious scientists and those with a passion for bee keeping. . . . Seeley's book offers great opportunities to learn about honey bees in the wild . . . a source of inspiration for sustainable beekeeping practices."---Fabrice Requier & Robin M Crewe, Trends in Ecology and Evolution
Trends in Ecology and Evolution
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"Both the layman and general entomologist will enjoy this scientific detective story that is so engagingly and entertainingly told by a preeminent expert in the field."---Angus McCullough, Entomologist's Monthly Magazine
Entomologist's Monthly Magazine
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Thomas D. Seeley
- Narrator
- William Hope
- Duration
- 10 hours 31 minutes
- Release Date
- 28 May 2019
- ISBN
- 9780691193519
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Princeton University Press
- Genre
- Wildlife: butterflies, other insects and spiders: general interest, Biology, life sciences
Synopsis
This captivating audiobook narrated by William Hope reveals why wild honey bees may hold the key to saving the world's managed bee colonies Humans have kept honey bees in hives for millennia, yet only in recent decades have biologists begun to investigate how these industrious insects live in the wild. The Lives of Bees is Thomas Seeley's captivating story of what scientists are learning about the behavior, social life, and survival strategies of honey bees living outside the beekeeper's hive—and how wild honey bees may hold the key to reversing the alarming die-off of the planet's managed honey bee populations. 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. Engagingly written and deeply personal, The Lives of Bees reveals how we can become better custodians of honey bees and make use of their resources in ways that enrich their lives as well as our own.
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