The selection of books on bees and beekeeping offers a wide range of perspectives, from scientific to practical and even philosophical. The authors delve into the intricate world of bees, presenting various points of view on their biology, behavior and significance for our ecosystem. Here we wanted to recommend some easy-to-read volumes, with two suggestions for the little ones, hoping to bring them closer to this incredibly fascinating and fundamental world for humans too.
let's start from the beginning...
Among insects, bees are those that develop some of the most extraordinary social behaviors. They are able to communicate complex information among themselves, such as the location of a foraging site; they live in large numbers with a single mother who generates them after being fertilized only once in her life; they care for and defend each other from predators much larger than themselves; they are divided into social classes that perform different jobs; they build structures of impeccable precision. They are also the only insects in the animal kingdom capable of creating a food that is also edible for humans: honey, with innumerable properties and known since ancient times, produced from the nectar of flowers and secretions generated by leaves or some living parts of plants or that bees are able to transform and store in the honeycombs of the hive. Despite their small size, these animals are tireless workers with a complex social life, standing out for their perfection and industriousness. The numerous members of the colony, made up mainly of worker bees, are in fact linked to each other by bonds of great loyalty, even willing to die for the survival of the colony itself.
BEES TODAY
Ecologists have been warning the world population for years about the great dangers that bees face as a result of the pollution and impoverishment that our planet is undergoing. What most people have not yet become aware of is that human well-being depends on the harmony between the various living species. Bees, in particular, are necessary for us because they are very important pollinators: these small and industrious creatures pollinate 75% of the plants we eat and, without them, our species could not survive.
For this reason, in addition to beekeepers, we are also bearers of an important message, that of protection that passes first of all through correct information. Here is a small selection of volumes, which we found very interesting and which we read with great pleasure.
Reading suggestions:
- I’m with the bees of Dario Paladini, Terre di Mezzo Editore
- The secret life of bees of Marco Valsesia, Longanesi
… and for the little ones:
- The fabulous world of plants of Stefano Mancuso and Philip Giordano, Aboca Kids
- Honey, all the secrets of bees of Francesca Valente, Slow Kids
“Books are like bees that pollinate us with culture”
