- Fruitless fall : the collapse of the honey bee and the coming agricultural crisis by Rowan Jacobsen.
The slim volume provides a brief explanation of the importance of the honey bee to our lives, like: "...three quarters [of plant species] rely on wild pollinators to reproduce." The chapters:
- Breakfast in America
- How the Honey Bee Conquered the World
fascinated me and I imagine would interest children and adults alike.
While the book is about a serious subject, the writer appears to be rather fond of his subject and writes in a manner to invite you to keep reading. For example, his descriptions of the male drone "...much like a certain stereotypical human male that comparisons are irrestible" and the bee method of communication, referred to as the "waggle dance" are hilarious as well as informative.
The mystery of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) continues throughout the book and includes an interesting look at how different groups (scientist, bee-keepers, etc.) and countries (a world-wide concern) tried to identify the cause.
Interested yet?
2 comments:
I saw that book at the store, and considered picking it up...did it have a conclusion as to what had caused the collapse of the bee hives? Or are we all doomed?
The book explores several theories and basically decides that it was due to several factors combined: over-working the bees by constantly moving them around the country throughout the year, pesticides, disturbing the natural cycles, monocrop (bees need variety for nutrients), etc.
It is an intelligent and entertaining book. I'm glad that I found it at the local library and now plan to purchase a copy.
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