Table of Contents

1. 100 millions years ago: bees and dinosaurs • 2. How a bee is built • 3. Types of bee and their functions • 4. The Queen Bee and bee breeding • 5. Bees’ dancing and swarming • 6. Honeycomb, contractions based on it and other examples of biomimetics • 7. Pollination • 8. Fruits and vegetables that rely on bees • 9. Other secondary pollinators • 10. First traces of contact between a man and a bee • 11. Ancient Egypt 12. Greek divinities and honey in Greek mythology • 13. Alexander and Poppea • 14. Beehive Design • 15. Early Slavs and Saint Ambrose • 16. Napoleon and Josephine 17. Curiosities • 18. Early honey harvesting • 19. Honey harvesting and early honey-hunters • 20. How a bee-hive is built • 21. Beekeeper’s clothing and tools • 22. A beekeeper’s work • 23. Types of beehives • 24. Figurative • 25. Ethiopia and Cameroon • 26. Asia • 27. Honey-giving plants • 28. Travelling apiaries • 29. How honey’s by-products are made • 30. Types of honey and dishes in which it’s used • 31. Enemies of bees and lovers of honey • 32. Bee sting • 33. Vanishing bees and hand-pollination • 34. Beehives in cities and hotels for pollinators • 35. Curiosities

Promotional Information

A big, beautifully illustrated book on one of the most amazing animals on earth: the humble bee

About the Author

Piotr Socha is a graphic designer and illustrator, and the son of a beekeeper. He is one of Poland's most popular cartoonists, famous for his comic drawings in various prominent Polish magazines and newspapers.

Reviews

'A beautifully illustrated new book by cartoonist Piotr Socha will delight your children with all things buzzy…It is a brilliant way to educate the younger generation about something very small but very important' - Absolutely Education Magazine

'Designed like a coffee table book, yet containing the knowledge of an encyclopaedia, and reading like a fun newspaper, this is stunningly executed my top non-fiction book of the year' - Minerva Reads

'This glorious book will introduce you to the bee world. It is fantastically illustrated in a cartoonish style that is big, bold and will appeal to all ages of reader. As well as being encyclopaedic, it is great fun - featuring recipes and a little bee newspaper, the Daily Buzz' - Book Trust

'This A3-sized beautifully illustrated book will quickly become a favourite in any household' - Countryside

'The Bee Book is a treasure trove of information just waiting to 'bee' harvested!' - The Bookbag

'Charming and educative' - The Tablet

'While it is intended for children with most of the illustrations … of a folksy and caricature-type nature, it will readily appeal to adults too' - Beekeeper Quarterly

'A marvellous, unique picture book about beekeeping that delights everyone who sees it' - Bees for Development Journal

'A wonderfully imagined and wittily illustrated compendium … Full of humour … Everything is beautifully explained in detail on a double-page spread for a deeper understanding. Quite magnificent' - The Society of Authors