cover image The Beekeepers: How Humans Changed the World of Bumble Bees

The Beekeepers: How Humans Changed the World of Bumble Bees

Dana L. Church. Scholastic Focus, $18.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-338-56554-6

Like a pollinator gathering nectar from a wild-blooming field of flowers, Church pulls information from various sources and studies to tell the story of bumble bees, one that is complicated (unsurprisingly) by humans. Church’s narrative encompasses the wisdom of Henry Lickers, an elder of the Seneca Nation, who shares the wisdom of “the bee song”; tales of Vikings bringing hunangsflugur (honeyflies) to Iceland; bee physiognomy (“Each bumble bee species has its own distinctive fur pattern”) and behaviors; and observations of Victorian naturalists, including Charles Darwin, before delving deep into how private companies have propagated specific bumble bee types and shipped them by the millions to pollinate crops around the world. Church discusses the impact of imported bumble bees on native species; notes the complex, multifactored phenomena of colony collapse disorder in honeybees and its possible impacts on bumble bees; and persuasively compiles the growing evidence of the harm that neonic pesticides have on bee populations. Though the book’s middle sags a bit under the weight of too many carefully recounted scientific studies, Church succeeds in illustrating the complex plight of bumble bees and illuminating the opportunities humans have to help these essential creatures thrive. Ages 8–12. [em](Mar.) [/em]