Clan Apis
If you are looking for a delightful book to teach you the basics of honeybee natural history, then Clan Apis by Jay Hosler is for you! This is a great book! Mr. Neil recommended it to me, actually insisted that I read it. I tried to tell him that I'm not one for the comic books but he assured me that this was very accurate and just a wonderful read. I was skeptical but thumbed through it in his presence to placate him. Before I knew it, I was hooked.
Hosler has a cheeky sense of humor about the bees but at the same time gives you all the facts about their life cycle and behaviors. This book is great for kids, but adults will love the humor. One of my favorite parts is when the hive decides to swarm (was that a spoiler?) and starts to carry off the queen. As the workers are toting her away, she exclaims, "Great Googaly Moogaly!"--points for use of that phrase! AND! Points for:
...inserting a pileated woodpecker drawn accurately and doing what woodpeckers do. Boy, I hope one of these boys doesn't decide to go after our hives.Anyway--this is a great read and a great gift. Go forth, find it, buy it (or check it out of a library) and read it. Ah, if only birders could do comics like this...maybe I will.
Labels: beekeeping, bees, Book Review
posted by birdchick at 9:26 PM
5 Comments:
Thanks for the book tip. I am mot considering getting hives for the garden but the drawings are great.
Nice to hear than both hives are getting artistic with the cobs, although I suppose it means keeping a closer eye on them so they don't clutter the hive with Piranesian constructions.
Still, I think all this productivity might hatch a little story. We'll see.
Happy beeing (and cuddles to Cinnamon)
Nathalie
Although I'm not an apiarist, I think I'll get it, too. It looks delightful.
Have you ever read any Gene Stratton Porter? I would think both "Freckles" and "Keeper of the Bees" would be appropriate for you. They're listed on Amazon, but if you can, see if your library has them--the older editions tend to have gorgeous color plates.
Oh it is a great graphic novel, one of the few most libraries will have. And it is funny. Glad your having fun.
Kitmarlowescot2
My local library has a copy and I read it a year or two ago. Great fun! I'm not a big fan of bees but I loved it.
And the litle story did happen after all.
Not going quite in the direction I would have expected when I posted my first comment to this entry but, then again, I never did have any control on the way my writings go...
This short story's muse had the cutests black and yellow costume.
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