The Secret Lives of Garden Bees

by Jean Vernon

A friendly, accessible insight into the weird, but wonderful world of bees in your garden

From the common or garden bumblebees that nest in bird boxes, compost heaps and old mouse holes, making Winnie the Pooh' style honey pots to feed their babes, to the quirky wool carder bee; a solitary bee that combs the fluff from garden plants to line her brood cells and the amazing leaf cutter bee that carves chunks out of plant foliage to seal it's egg chambers.

This book will reveal the secrets and fascinating lives of the bees that live and breed in your garden, from buzz pollination, to the bee robbers that cheat the plants and steal nectar by stealth.

With a chapter per season to explore what you are likely to see in your garden, great plants to grow to help them, plus other fascinating information on these secretive creatures, this book is designed to bring alive the world of garden before your very eyes.

• ISBN13: 9781526711861
• Publish Date: 5 March 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 17 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd
• Imprint: White Owl
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 208
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Secret Lives of Garden Bees is a science based, layman accessible, entertainingly educational primer about our favourite pollinators, bees (and not just honeybees). Due out 19th June 2020 from Pen & Sword on their White Owl imprint, it's 208 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

This is a wonderfully accessible book with a primer of bees including places to find them, how to spot them, what their habits are, and what they look like. The descriptions include the proper nomenclature side by side with the common names and all include crystal clear colour photos of each subject. There are chapters full of advice for attracting and supporting both native and non-native pollinators including what *not* to do in one's garden. There's an herbal list with flowing plants which are food rich and attractive to bees and a seasonal guide to the gardener's year with respect to maintaining rich and diverse plant and insect populations.

The book includes a generous assortment of links for further reading and a cross referenced index. The photography is nothing short of breathtaking. There are numerous crystal clear macro shots in which one could (if so inclined) count every hair on the fuzzy bee bodies.The chapters also include lists of tips and advice, arranged bullet style, for supporting and providing nesting and living habitat for solitary bees and other beneficial insects.

This is a lovely and inviting book, well written, scientifically accurate and engaging. Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.