The Lives of Bees: The Untold Story of the Honey Bee in the Wild

About the Book

How the lives of wild honey bees offer vital lessons for 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.

About the Author :
Thomas D. Seeley is the Horace White Professor in Biology at Cornell University. He is the author of Following the Wild Bees, Honeybee Democracy, and Honeybee Ecology (all Princeton) as well as The Wisdom of the Hive. He lives in Ithaca, New York.

Review :
"[The Lives of Bees] both celebrates and chronicles the natural history of the honey bee."---Barry Silverstein, Foreword Reviews "[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 "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 "A remarkable book. It is an essential read for every beekeeper who wishes to understand more fully the natural biology of the bees living in his or her hives."---Ann Chilcott, The Beelistener "An impassioned account of honey bees by one of the most respected ecological bee researchers who is also a master storyteller. This charming, informative, and profusely illustrated book is one to curl up with in an easy chair while sipping honey-laced hot tea."---Stephen L. Buchmann, The Quarterly Review of Biology "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 "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 "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 "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 Prov-erbs 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 "Engagingly written and deeply personal, it's the best bee book in print!"---Nicola Bradbear, Bee Craft "I was really drawn to Tom Seeley's The Lives of Bees. He IS the bee keeper's bee keeper."---Ira Flatow, Science Friday "Seeley brings us dispatches from the cutting-edge scientific hive-mind exploring the complex behavioral, social, and survival dynamics of bee colonies."---Olivia Rutigliano, LitHub "Seeley is truly a wonderful science writer, and one of the best at synthesizing information from honey bee studies conducted across the globe . . . His ability to communicate his science, and the science of others into common themes makes his books a pleasure to read for both academics and general readers alike."---Cory S. Sheffield, Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Canada "Seeley who has been enraptured by bees since 1963, presents an authoritative and engaging account of why bees still fascinate him. The book should be of interests to students, educators, and professional biologists."---Norman A. Johnson, Evolution: Education and Outreach "Tells you everything about honeybees that has not been told . . . . The Lives of Bees is well-researched and one of the most authentic works on honeybees."-- "The Washington Book Review" "This book is a surprise and one heck of a good read."---Scott Shalaway, WV News "This gorgeous and noteworthy book provides a very different view of honey bees and how they live in the wild and offers important lessons for saving the world's managed bee colonies. . . . The Lives of Bees will be highly-prized and often referenced by scientists, beekeepers and students of bees, and will fascinate anyone who wishes to learn more about the lives of these amazing insects."---GrrlScientist, Forbes "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 "This is an excellent book, and one I would recommend to all beekeepers, not to mention anyone with a fascination for this amazing little insect."---Amanda Williams, Buzz About Bees "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