Bee Better: How Bees Can Make You and Our World Better

By Howard Steel

Have you ever wondered why honey bees are so vital to the health and vitality of our world? Join retired educator, Howard Steel, as he whimsically shares his passion for these amazing creatures along with many personal experiences with beekeeping. Prepare to be amazed by the honeybee's intricate anatomy, fascinating communication methods, mathematical reproduction and unique hive mentality. You'll also discover why these incredible producers are endangered and how we can help protect them with simple, personal lifestyle changes. Be inspired and learn how to start up your own hive right in your backyard! Students: This book will be a great source for your research projects. Start reading BEE BETTER today and find out what all the BUZZ is about!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Howard Steel
• Release date: Jun 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201165307

Book preview

Bee Better

How BEES Can Make You and Our World BETTER

Howard Steel

© Copyright 2022 - All rights reserved.

The content contained within this book may not be reproduced, duplicated or transmitted without direct written permission from the author or the publisher.

Under no circumstances will any blame or legal responsibility be held against the publisher, or author, for any damages, reparation, or monetary loss due to the information contained within this book, either directly or indirectly.

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Please note the information contained within this document is for educational and entertainment purposes only. All effort has been executed to present accurate, up to date, reliable, complete information. No warranties of any kind are declared or implied. Readers acknowledge that the author is not engaged in the rendering of legal, financial, medical or professional advice. The content within this book has been derived from various sources. Please consult a licensed professional before attempting any techniques outlined in this book.

By reading this document, the reader agrees that under no circumstances is the author responsible for any losses, direct or indirect, that are incurred as a result of the use of the information contained within this document, including, but not limited to, errors, omissions, or inaccuracies.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents..............................................................3

Introduction...................................................................6

Chapter 1: My Life on the Bee Farm ...............................................7

Bee Bothered ..............................................................7

Getting from A to Bee ...................................................7

The Family Bees-ness....................................................9

Apiary Truth.............................................................10

Teaching the A Bee Cs .................................................12

Chapter 2: The Not-So-Secret Life of Bees .........................................15

The Anatomy of the Anato-Bee ..............................................15

The Super Organisms of the Superorganism ....................................16

Dark and Brooding .....................................................17

The Queen Bee Herself .................................................17

Don’t Let Me Drone on Too Long .........................................19

Non-Bee-nary.........................................................20

You’d Better WORK...................................................21

Just for Fun! .............................................................23

Fi-BEE-nacci Sequences ................................................24

Chapter 3: Hive-Minded .......................................................26

The Shape of You .........................................................26

An Exclusive With the Queen Excluder ....................................28

Under Observation .....................................................29

Superorganism or Supercomputer? ............................................29

Intro to Communication-101 .............................................30

A Dance-mocratic Government ...........................................31

Chapter 4: Honey Dearest ......................................................33

What Is It, Honey? ........................................................33

Eye of the Bee-Holder–From the Bee’s Perspective ...........................33

Pollination Station .....................................................34

Eye of the Bee-Holder - From the Perspective of the Bee Keeper ................35

Leave Us Bee! ........................................................35

All the Best That Honey Can Buy ............................................36

Neither Here Nor Bear ..................................................36

Orange You Glad It’s Honey, Honey?......................................38

Wax On, Wax Off .........................................................39

Wax It To Ya? ........................................................40

Pro Propolis ..........................................................40

A Royal Snack ........................................................40

Chapter 5: Houston, We Hive a Problem ..........................................42

The Show Must Go Wrong ..................................................42

Going Viral ..........................................................42

Things That Go Buzz in the Night .........................................43

These Guys Mite Be the Worst ...........................................44

They Just Up and Swarmed Away .........................................45

A Most Luxurious Beard ................................................47

Colony Collapse Disorder ...............................................47

Chapter 6: Changing Our Bee-havior .............................................49

Don’t Bee a Jerk ......................................................49

Buying Bee-tter........................................................50

The Garden of Bee-den..................................................51

Preventative Pollen-cies .................................................51

This One’s a Keeper ...................................................53

Conclusion..................................................................55

References...................................................................56

Introduction

It was at an alumni night a few years back when an old student of mine approached me. He was dressed in the kind of dark blue suit that said, I’m doing well for myself, and I want my classmates to know I’m doing well for myself, but I don’t want them to think that I want them to know that I’m doing well for myself. And he was doing very well for himself. Naturally, I was more than pleased. It always brings a touch of joy to know the kids you taught so long ago have gone on to do good things.

In his case, he’d gone on to be a pretty successful lawyer–or maybe he was just clerking at the time; I don’t remember–and was working on a dispute involving something or other. As an aside, there were some beehives that had become a part of the discussion.

I kept thinking about your class, he said. I kept bringing up things you taught us, and then I’d have to go and look up sources so I could properly cite the information. Apparently, it’s a touch difficult to create a proper citation for something you learned in grade school and have no way of verifying.

It was at that moment that a lightbulb seemed to go off over his head, and he said, Mr. Steel, you should write a book.

I laughed at him something fierce before it dawned on me that he was serious, and I told him I’d consider it but that he shouldn’t get his hopes too high.

Well, the world is all in a tizzy right now, and there’s not much to do most days except maybe sit in front of the television or write that Great American Novel you’ve got brewing in your head, so I thought I’d take the chance to try something new to see if I couldn’t maybe make good on my promise from all those years ago.

I’ve always had a soft spot for honeybees, and I hope some of you do too or you wouldn’t have gone and picked up this book. If you’re scared of bees, that’s okay, too. I wasn’t too fond of them as a kid either, but the more I learned about them, the more I came to realize how much we really owe to our little yellow friends.

Whether you know a lot about bees and are just looking for something to cite or you know next to nothing and you’re hoping to change that, welcome, friend. This book is a lifetime in the making; I only hope I do it a little bit of justice.

Chapter 1: My Life on the Bee Farm

Bee Bothered

I can still vividly remember the first time I stepped into the pale yellow store front of our family's bee barn.  I must have been about four.  My aunt Kate was selling some honey to a customer and in walked my famously eccentric and lovable uncle Tom looking like a strange mix of Frosty and Santa with an unruly beard.  To my surprise, he had a single bee resting on his ungloved hand.  He calmly called me over and I silently grinned from ear to ear as I carefully examined this fascinating creature with wide-eyed wonder.  Sadly, my sense of awe for these tiny, furry insects would soon become overshadowed by fear and irritation as I discovered their stingers.

Most people have a slightly traumatic bee sting story to tell.  I'm no different.  The first time I was stung, I was out enjoying