Review: Field Guide to the Common Bees of California

Field Guide to the Common Bees of California by Gretchen LeBuhn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Its always exciting to read about bees. I have so much to learn. I like the books small size. My favorite thing about Field guide to common bees of California is the illustrations of the bees. The bees look so great. So adorable I hope I get to see a lot of the different different types of bees in the wild.

I also reading the first part of the book called an introduction to bees. I only wish I could remember all the information I read. I try my best. I think it was wroth the time it took me to read it.



View all my reviews

Review: Dancing with Bees: A Journey Back to Nature

Dancing with Bees: A Journey Back to Nature by Brigit Strawbridge Howard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book got me excited about growing Russian Comfrey and phacelia. I can picture all the bees at those plants. There is nothing more fun than to see lots of bees on a plant. Its so calming. I thought this book was OK. I thought her writing about bees was interesting. This book made me want to know more about birds. I don't know much about birds. I know a few birds maybe. That is all. I wish I could tell what type of bird I am hearing by its calls. So much to learn about birds.
I thought this book was worth the time it took me to read it. And I think I learned a few things by reading it. If you enjoy reading about bees I think you will enjoy reading a good portion of this book. Bees are amazing insects.

View all my reviews

Review: Honeybee Democracy

Honeybee Democracy by Thomas D. Seeley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I never thought that anyone would have studied honey bee swarms. Before reading honeybee democracy I thought bees swarm and that is that. I never considered how they decided on a new home, Is the decision unanimous?, how does the swarm find its new home. I did know about scout bees. I am glad that there are people that were curious enough about honey bee swarms to study them.
Honeybee democracy was well wroth the time it took to read. I only wish I could remember every word of the book. If you like honeybees and you want to know more about honeybee swarms I think you will enjoy reading this book.

View all my reviews

Review: California Bees & Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists

California Bees & Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists by Gordon W Frankie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a fun read. I enjoyed reading the profiles of the bees and plants. So many cool plants and bees. I wish I could remember all the names. I still have a lot of trouble with the binomial naming system.
My favorite tips were to use binoculars if you want to observe bees for a distance. And I also liked the tips on photographing bees. I had thought that I could use a magnifying glass for observing bees. I had not thought of using binoculars. I can't wait to get a pair of binoculars so I can observe bees. I had never thought of taking pictures of bees. It never occurred to me that I could take a picture of a bee. I can't wait to take pictures of bees. I also liked the glossaries of bee & plant terms.
I enjoyed reading this book a lot. I only wish I remembered the bee and plant names better. I need to become a memory champion.

View all my reviews

Review: Bees, Wasps, and Ants: The Indispensable Role of Hymenoptera in Gardens

Bees, Wasps, and Ants: The Indispensable Role of Hymenoptera in Gardens by Eric Grissell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wish I knew it all. I am glad I don't know it all. Because if I now it all there would be a lot in world that no one would know anything about. Before reading this book I had never heard the word sawfly and had no idea what they were. Insects are amazing that's all I can say.
My favorite chapter about the book was the one about planting a garden for Hymenoptera. That's not the exact name of the chapter but, its what the chapter is about.
I wonder how much information entomologists memorize. And how much information that have to look up in a book or on the internet.
Reading articles saying that insects were declining made me want to know more about insects. And I am glad I have read books about insects. Now all I need to do is plant a garden to attract hymenoptera so I can see them up close. I defiantly will need a field guide to identify them.
This was a fun book to read.

View all my reviews

Review: The Backyard Beekeeper: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden

The Backyard Beekeeper: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden by Kim Flottum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have also read the 4th edition of the backyard beekeeper. So I thought why not read the 3rd edition.
Bees are one of my favorite subjects to read about. I was thinking about when I grew sunflowers years ago I remember seeing bees on the sunflowers but, I had no interest in how the bees lived, what they ate, how long they lived, how many bees were in a hive. Back then I had no idea bout bees. And if I thought about bees I assumed that there were only honey bees or bumble bees.
I am glad I got interested in bees. They are fascinating insects that are so interesting. My world is so much better know that I know a little bit about bees. One day I hope to become a beekeeper. I can't wait to see if I like beekeeping and if I am good at beekeeping.

View all my reviews

Review: Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis

Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis by Rowan Jacobsen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had heard about colony collapse disorder before reading this book. I knew that the bees would disappear from the hive with no trace. That is about all I knew. Its was so interesting to read about the investigation into colony collapse disorder. I thought that there would be an identified cause. Maybe there is now but, not when this book was written. If I were a beekeeper and my bees disappeared without a trace that would scare me.
For me this book was a page turner. I liked reading about Kirk Webster and how he went from using chemicals to breeding Russian honey bees. I also enjoyed the appendix about some beekeepers using 4.9 millimeter cells instead of 5.4 millimeter cells. In that same appendix the author wrote about Dennis Murrell and how he used top bar hives and had less Verroa mites and diseases such as chalkbrood or was it Nosema or was it diseases. The discussion about California almond orchards was also interesting.
I was not sure that this book would be that interesting to read when I got it to read. After reading Fruitless fall I can say for certain that I am glad I read it. Bees are amazing.

View all my reviews