Robbing the Bees: A Biography of Honey--The Sweet Liquid Gold that Seduced the World 
asked by osx on November 7, 2006 1:42 AM
Holley Bishop loves bees. No, more than that: she idolizes them. She marvels at their native abilities and the momentous role these misunderstood and unjustly feared creatures have played in the development of human history. And with her book, Robbing the Bees, she succeeds in making the reader love bees, too. Take this nifty bit of information, one of countless fascinating factoids offered by Bishop in her celebration of all things bee-related: "Because of bees' starring role in the drama of pollination, we humans are indebted to them, directly and indirectly, for a third of our food supply. Visiting bees are required for the commercial production of more than a hundred of our most important crops including alfalfa, garlic, apples, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, citrus, melons, onion, almonds, turnips, parsley, sunflower, cranberries, and clover." Or how about this: "For the past decade, the American military has been testing [bees'] potential as special agents in the war on drugs and terrorism. Bees are as sensitive to odor as dogs and can be trained to buzz in on drugs, explosives, landmines, and chemical weapons." Beat that as a winning opening gambit at a cocktail party. And that ain't all. Bishop charts the evolution of honey and beeswax harvesting through the ages, gives us an up-close look inside working beehives from ancient Egypt to the present day, interviews beekeepers, quotes bee chroniclers past and present (from Charles Darwin to contemporary Florida beekeeper Donald Smiley), reveals her rather clumsy foray into beekeeping in candid detail, studies bees' impact on religion and history, and provides a selection of innovative recipes calling for honey. Through it all, Bishop never loses sight of the star if the show--the humble honey bee--or the crucial but largely unrewarded role they continue to play on our planet. And she does it with snappy prose and keen humor. Dogs be warned: if Bishop has her way, bees will be the it pet of the future, or at least less likely to die at the end of a folded newspaper next time one buzzes in through an open window. --Kim Hughes
Reviews
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You know, when I picked up this book, I had no idea I would enjoy it so much. I am researching for down the line when I buy a house, considering some minor beekeeping in my future and this was recommended to me by my local librarian (yea librarians!). I'm not sorry I picked this up...it's written in such an unabashed loving way that one cannot help but be as exited as Bishop and Smiley about bee's and beekeeping. I was also quite pleased to find an extensive history of bees; beekeeping, honey, and wax were a part of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the way the story was divided between following Bishop as she discovered her own love of beekeeping, her interviews and following of Smiley on his beekeeping farm in Florida (following his rounds and seasons was very fascinating and who know it was such hard work), and finally the sections on the history. These were woven together quite well and as a whole provide the reader with a solid foundation that is also filled with love and enthusiasm for bees and their honey. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in doing a little beekeeping of their own (not as a how to, rather as a first step in becoming more familiar with the process and history of it)...heck, if you like honey, you'll probably like this book! I'll be adding a copy to my permanent library very soon!!
reviewed by pauls on November 22, 2006 3:28 PM
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I don't think I can add much to all of the valid points the other reviewers have touched on (although I take issue with the scientific criticisms of one reviewer - I think she didn't read those passages closely enough) however I can't resist saying how enjoyable and eminently readable Holley Bishop's book is.
Her writing style is engaging and memorable. It has been a long time since I have had such a wonderful combination of history, science, anthropology, and memoir ("Stiff" by Mary Roach probably being the last one).
Bishop provides so much fabulous information I have no doubt she is creating a new generation of wanna-beekeepers that just might help save our swiftly deteriorating honeybee populations.
I am recommending this book all over the place and everyone is loving it. A great read from teen on up.
Her writing style is engaging and memorable. It has been a long time since I have had such a wonderful combination of history, science, anthropology, and memoir ("Stiff" by Mary Roach probably being the last one).
Bishop provides so much fabulous information I have no doubt she is creating a new generation of wanna-beekeepers that just might help save our swiftly deteriorating honeybee populations.
I am recommending this book all over the place and everyone is loving it. A great read from teen on up.
reviewed by jrivera on November 22, 2006 8:09 PM
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I found this book to be a great read. The writing was quite eloquent and absorbing and I found that I got to know honey bees intimately. Because the structure of the book, the sense you get of the history of the honey bee is somewhat fragmented. I agree with some of the other reviewers that there is something lacking to the science side, although very well researched and very nearly comprehensive, I didn't feel like the social and environmental issues facing this amazing creature were sufficiently addressed. I was dissappointed that the issue of genetically engineered food and organisms was glossed over, this however may be because the book is largely set in the USA which is one of the few countries worldwide where the implications and effects of GMO's for humans and animals are also largely glossed over. I felt that Hattie Ellis in her wonderful history: "Sweetness and Light: The Mysterious History of the Honey Bee" did a remarkable job at addressing the various issues of the plight of the modern honey bee, and like Holley Bishop's book is a very compelling read.
reviewed by h2o on November 26, 2006 3:33 PM
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Bishop presents an entertaining history of bees and beekeeping, and gives us an absolutely fascinting tour into the relationship between humans and bees, both ancient and modern. What she misses are her science references:
On page 142, Bishop recounts the removal of a stinger: "...he grabbed the whole sac, which simply squeezed in more venom." This is not true. It is an oft-repeated piece of conventional wisdom, but in 1996, entomologists at UC Riverside published an article in The Lancet (348:301-302), with the conclusion that rather than removal method, speed is of the essence. Visscher and Vetter wrote of their conclusion: "The method of removal is irrelevant, but even slight delays in removal caused by concerns over performing it correctly (or getting out a knife blade or credit card) are likely to increase the dose of venom received. The advice should be changed to simply emphasize that the sting should be removed, and as quickly as possible."
On page 276, Bishop writes about royal jelly "...worker bees secrete and feed exclusively to a select few fertilized eggs, one of which, on this special diet, will grow into a queen." This is patently incorrect. Royal jelly, as all beekeepers know, is fed to all the brood by nursery bees for the first 2-3 days of the brood's development. After this time, most brood who are not destined to be queens will receive pollen as food, whereas queens are fed the jelly all their lives. It is rather stunning that an author who keeps bees herself and obviouly spent considerable efforts in researching her book can make such a glaring error in bee knowledge.
This was quite a blow to me at this point in the book as I have enjoyed the book very much, and to run into such a blatantly uninformed statement from the author caused me major disappointment. Otherwise, this is quite a good, absorbing read.
On page 142, Bishop recounts the removal of a stinger: "...he grabbed the whole sac, which simply squeezed in more venom." This is not true. It is an oft-repeated piece of conventional wisdom, but in 1996, entomologists at UC Riverside published an article in The Lancet (348:301-302), with the conclusion that rather than removal method, speed is of the essence. Visscher and Vetter wrote of their conclusion: "The method of removal is irrelevant, but even slight delays in removal caused by concerns over performing it correctly (or getting out a knife blade or credit card) are likely to increase the dose of venom received. The advice should be changed to simply emphasize that the sting should be removed, and as quickly as possible."
On page 276, Bishop writes about royal jelly "...worker bees secrete and feed exclusively to a select few fertilized eggs, one of which, on this special diet, will grow into a queen." This is patently incorrect. Royal jelly, as all beekeepers know, is fed to all the brood by nursery bees for the first 2-3 days of the brood's development. After this time, most brood who are not destined to be queens will receive pollen as food, whereas queens are fed the jelly all their lives. It is rather stunning that an author who keeps bees herself and obviouly spent considerable efforts in researching her book can make such a glaring error in bee knowledge.
This was quite a blow to me at this point in the book as I have enjoyed the book very much, and to run into such a blatantly uninformed statement from the author caused me major disappointment. Otherwise, this is quite a good, absorbing read.
reviewed by ragtop on November 27, 2006 11:29 AM
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"But if a man be grown old, and have a loose and hanging member, he shall do this. Of seed of rocket, cumin, pepper, and seed of purslain, being bruised and made up with honey, let him take it morning and evening. It is incomparable."
Who needs the expense of Viagra?
In ROBBING THE BEES, author Holley Bishop, herself an amateur bee keeper for six years, has penned an eminently readable and loving tribute to bees, honey, and beeswax. While not a thriller, nor perhaps one you can't put down, it is at the top of the genre of books that teaches us a little bit about the world we inhabit, and which focuses on a subject about which the reader likely gives little thought. I mean, honey is on the supermarket shelf in those cute, squeezable, plastic bears. What more is there to know, right?
A relatively small portion of the text - regrettably too little - describes Bishop's own experience raising bees. Rather, she was invited by Florida bee keeper and honey merchant, Donald Smiley, to accompany him on his daily rounds over the course of a year as he moved his apiaries from place to place following the seasonal emergence of the various blossoms that provide the pollen and nectar that nourish the bees' hive and ultimately provide Mankind with one of its most historically significant food staples. Also, we learn that, over the millennia, honey has also served as drink, food preservative, money, and medicine. Thus, the quote from a 1685 Persian medical manual that heads this review.
Bishop doesn't neglect beeswax, which has served to embalm bodies, provide light as candles, waterproof leather armor, polish furniture, floors and walls, mend cracked pottery, cement mosaic tiles, remove stains from marble, and serve as the substrate for lipstick and crayons.
As for the bees themselves, Holly describes their life cycle and hive environment, their amazing ability for comb construction, and their accidental but vital contribution to plant pollination (without which supermarket produce sections wouldn't be the same).
In short, because ROBBING THE BEES is a masterpiece of good press, I'll never look at that busy insect in the same way ever again. Cockroaches should be as lucky.
Who needs the expense of Viagra?
In ROBBING THE BEES, author Holley Bishop, herself an amateur bee keeper for six years, has penned an eminently readable and loving tribute to bees, honey, and beeswax. While not a thriller, nor perhaps one you can't put down, it is at the top of the genre of books that teaches us a little bit about the world we inhabit, and which focuses on a subject about which the reader likely gives little thought. I mean, honey is on the supermarket shelf in those cute, squeezable, plastic bears. What more is there to know, right?
A relatively small portion of the text - regrettably too little - describes Bishop's own experience raising bees. Rather, she was invited by Florida bee keeper and honey merchant, Donald Smiley, to accompany him on his daily rounds over the course of a year as he moved his apiaries from place to place following the seasonal emergence of the various blossoms that provide the pollen and nectar that nourish the bees' hive and ultimately provide Mankind with one of its most historically significant food staples. Also, we learn that, over the millennia, honey has also served as drink, food preservative, money, and medicine. Thus, the quote from a 1685 Persian medical manual that heads this review.
Bishop doesn't neglect beeswax, which has served to embalm bodies, provide light as candles, waterproof leather armor, polish furniture, floors and walls, mend cracked pottery, cement mosaic tiles, remove stains from marble, and serve as the substrate for lipstick and crayons.
As for the bees themselves, Holly describes their life cycle and hive environment, their amazing ability for comb construction, and their accidental but vital contribution to plant pollination (without which supermarket produce sections wouldn't be the same).
In short, because ROBBING THE BEES is a masterpiece of good press, I'll never look at that busy insect in the same way ever again. Cockroaches should be as lucky.
reviewed by flow on November 27, 2006 12:17 PM