A World Without Bees 
Customer Ratings: - Honey bees, that is. Alison Benjamin is a journalist who, together with her partner Brian McCallum, is also (like me) an amateur beekeeper. (I see that she has also written an introductory book on beekeeping.) Over the last year or two, fueled by the crisis that is hitting honey bee populations, particularly in the USA but also in the UK and Europe, public interest in honey bees has soared. This book feeds off that interest, and does so very well. It is written in a popular journalistic style that can be appreciated by anyone who is interested in the subject, which should be all of us. No background knowledge of bees or beekeeping is required. The authors themselves are neither scientists nor professional beekeepers, but have done their homework thoroughly, consulting a wide variety of professionals. They deal with a number of hazards facing today s bees, and a number of suggestions for alleviating (I doubt whether they would go so far as to say solving) the problem. For example, the role of other pollenating insects is explored briefly. There are no facile statements of the problem, and no proposed silver bullet, just a thorough exploration of the issues from a variety of angles. The first edition of this book came out in 2008, just two years after Colony Collapse Disorder was first identified in the USA, and it has been updated for 2009, so is very up-to-date as I write this review. Anyone interested in green issues, beekeeper or not, will learn a lot from it.
- A World Without Bees. Amazon are currently selling this book as part of a bundle of 3 beekeeping books for around £22.72 I would warn you against ordering this bundle! A World Without Bees is no longer available - it s a new book so I m not sure why - yet it s still being sold on this website. Order the bundle and you ll end up with only the two other books instead, costing £16.68. Not a bargain at all. I ll now have to shop around for another supplier instead.
- Not as good as I had hoped.. A World Without Bees
I had eagerly awaited this book which I was expecting as a Christmas present and for the first few chapters I wasn t disappointed. The huge industrialisation of the honeybee world, particularly in the US, was a revelation to me as were the myriad of facts about bee behaviour revealed in a further chapter.
However, this is a book primarily about honeybees, not the other bees we regularly see in British gardens, and there does seem to be an emphasis on the problems experienced by American beekeepers. I was left wondering if the problems highlighted in the British press last year were completely unrelated to the problems outlined in this book.
It is obvious that the authors are enthusiastic about their subject, and there is no doubt that it is a subject that needs more attention and publicity, but, for me there was too much repetition in this book. It was like watching a documentary that was made for American television, with the main facts repeated after each advert break in case you forgot them whilst making a cup of tea. Topics covered in earlier chapters were repeated, albeit at relevant sections, but it felt as though the authors were short of things to write.
I wanted to give this book a higher rating, but, although it is an interesting and informative read, I was left feeling a little disappointed. - Necessary reading for everyone who contemplate nature. This book is an interesting piece of work about the role of bees in the Human world! I could not resist but bring to everyone s attention what follows:
The Quran chapter 16 is labelled Bees and in it you can read the following verses:
Verse 68: And thy Lord taught the Bee to build its cells in hills, on trees, and in (men s) habitations,
Verse 69: Then to eat of all the produce (of the earth), and find with skill the spacious paths of its Lord: there issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing for men: verily in this is a Sign for those who give thought.
Also the Prophet Mohammad SAW used to put honey in his water, we know now how water help the antiseptic ingredient of honey activate.
Thank for this truly amazing book!
- The best book on bees. Little more to say other than this is a wholly remarkable book. Interesting, insightful and beautifully written, it s gives a broad view of the topic whilst maintaining the focus on the core questions throughout. As interesting to a layman as an apiarist. A must read.
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A World Without Bees (ID: 0852650922)
