A year in the life of New York City’s premier beekeeper, who chronicles his adventures and the quirky personalities he encounters while spreading his infinite knowledge of and passion for the remarkable honey bee
“Coté’s charming and poignant essay collection delivers the entertainment and smarts required to make real change in how we look at our planet, and ourselves.”—Andrew Zimmern
From the humble drone to the fittingly named worker to the queen herself—who is more a slave than a monarch—the hive world, Andrew Coté reveals, is full of strivers and slackers, givers and takers, and even some insect promiscuity (startlingly similar to the prickly human variety). Written with Coté’s trademark humor, acumen, and a healthy dose of charm, Honey and Venom illuminates the obscure culture of New York City “beeks” and the biology of the bees themselves for both casual readers and bee enthusiasts.
Coté takes readers with him on his daily apiary adventures over the course of a year, in the city and across the globe. In Manhattan, among his many duties, he is called to capture swarms that have clustered on fire hydrants, air-conditioning units, or street-vendor umbrellas. Beyond maneuvering within a metropolitan populace as frenzied as the bees’, Coté is able to escape from the hive mind and the rigors of city dwelling with his philanthropic, international approach to apiculture. Annually, he travels to regions across the world with his organization, Bees Without Borders, where he teaches beekeepers how to increase their honey yield and income via beekeeping endeavors. For Coté, a fourth-generation beekeeper, this is a family tradition, and this personal significance pervades his celebration of the romance and mystery of bees, their honey, and the beekeepers whose lives revolve around these most magical creatures.
Honey and Venom: Confessions of an Urban Beekeeper is a vividly written and engaging discourse on bees, beekeeping, ecology, and life philosophy filled with personal anecdotes by Andrew Coté. Released 9th June by Penguin/Random House on their Ballantine imprint, it's 320 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
The book is arranged around the calendar year, starting in January, moving through to December, and elucidating the trials, drama, and triumphs of the beekeeper's year. There is a rhythm and flow to both the subject matter and the author's retelling. Tucked into the pages are many entertaining anecdotes about the author's experiences as a beekeeper, from a beekeeping family, and travels as an educator and international ambassador and ombudsman for honeybees and apiarists worldwide.
For readers who have enjoyed and loved John Seymour and Sue Hubbell but were looking for a little bit more modern glamorous NYC version of the beekeeper's year, this is your book. Coté writes humorously and well about life and his encounters with humans and bees. For readers in search of a no-frills how-to-keep-bees, this isn't it.
Four stars, I really enjoyed it.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
