Synopses & Reviews
"Whereas bee colonies were once seen as perfect societies of selfless workers and drones ruled by a queen, Tautz presents them as a self-organized, complex adaptive system that he considers "a mammal in many bodies". This comprehensive introduction to honeybee biology (originally published as Phänomen Honigbiene) explores such topics as how bees obtain and communicate information about flowers, "whole-animal gametes", and the comb's contributions to the sociophysiology of the colony. The author has been honored for making research accessible to the public, and his lucid text will reward lay readers, apiarists, students, and professional biologists alike. The book is profusely illustrated with Heilmann's spectacular photos, which capture the full range of bee activities--including some, such as the living chains formed where combs are being built or repaired, whose function remains unknown." (SCIENCE, Vol. 322, 19 December 2008) "With spectacularly beautiful colour photographs and an easy understandable text The Buzz about Bees tells the story of honeybees in a new perspective. Based on the latest data, notably from his own research group, Jürgen Tautz provides a wonderful insight into the realms of bees. In contrast to the view of bee colonies as perfect societies of selfless individuals ruled by a queen, Tautz introduces them as a "superorganism", a self organizing and complex adaptive system based on a network of communication; a fascinating result of evolution - a mammal in several bodies. The entire range of astonishing bee activities is described. Remarkable action photographs never shown before present bees busy with cell cleaning, caring for the brood, serving in the queen's court, visiting flowers, receiving nectar, producing honey, comb building, entrance guarding, heating and cooling. Spotlights include bees grooming, swarming, fighting, telephoning, sleeping and communicating by high-toned beeping, scents and dances."
Review
With some 230 fascinating high quality colour photographs Written in an entertaining easily understandable way The new fundamental bee book following the standard work of Karl von Frisch The author, Jürgen Tautz, is a world-leading scientist and a gifted communicator of science "Studying the book Buzz about Bees - Biology of a Superorganism I have been greatly impressed not only from scientific points but also from philosophical points. I feel that this book has the power to change our view of the world or Weltanschauung." (Prof.Dr. Tohru Marunouchi, Nagoya, Japan) "Excellent and Informative", July 26, 2008 (J. Desimone, Helmetta, NJ, USA) "Educational, impressive, entertaining till the last page", July 19, 2008 (Michael Thiele 'Beekeeper', Sebastopol, CA, USA) "The new book The Buzz about Bees by J. Tautz is a joy to behold! ...The book, and its brilliant photography by H. Heilmann, is highly successful at explaining the magic of the bees' 'superorganism' to the scientifically interested public." (Prof. Lars Chittka, Queen Mary College) "Wow! I decided to buy it based on your recommendation. It is one of the best bee books I have ever read. I would also say this is probably one of the best science books I have ever read. The author is on par with Carl Sagan, Steven Hawkings, etc. This is a must read for anyone interested in honeybees or biology in general." 5 August 2008 (Gary, biobees.com) "I've just finished reading the English translation of your book, and wanted to let you know that I think it's a wonderful book on honey bees. The photographs by Helga Heilmann are also fabulous. Once again, my hearty congratulations on a fine book!" 10 September 2008 (Stephen Buchmann, International Coordinator, Pollinator Partnership, Tucson, AZ, USA) "A beautiful account, stunningly illustrated, of what it is like to be a honeybee, to live in service of the hive, while in partnership with humans. Comprehensive and up to date, it provides answers to many of the scientific mysteries that remained unsolved about honeybees. A prize-worthy addition to the natural history literature..." 10 November 2008 (Thomas Eisner, Schurman Professor of Chemical Ecology, Cornell University, USA) "The author has a lively and engaging style and the skill to explain complex ideas intelligibly to a general audience. ... The chapters encompass the recent spectacular discoveries that revolutionize the understanding of the bee superorganism. This compelling book deserves to be read by everyone interested in the third most important domestic animal, the superorganism which the beehive contains. The book will be of interest to a wide readership and it will appeal not only to specialists but also to general readers" 12 February 2009 (Professor Karl Maramorosch, Cook College, Rutgers University, USA) "I must congratulate you on your excellent book, The Buzz about Bees. The writing is superb." 21 April 2009 (Mark W. Moffett, Ph.D., Research Scientist, NMNH, The Smithsonian Institution, Associate Curator, University of California at Berkeley, Contract Photographer, National Geographic Magazine)
Review
From the Reviews of the German Edition: (Phaenomen Honigbiene, Spektrum, 2007) "...In small steps, ... the author approaches the deeper nature of bees ... With ... 250 photos, ... the presentation is excellent. Over 50 of them are full-page photos and give the volume ... a particular aesthetic allure. Any beekeeper ... who has ever tried to photograph their bees would be envious. As a basic work, 'The Buzz about Bees' is not only a milestone in bee literature for ... beekeepers, but ... recommended for anyone interested in nature. It links new up-to-date insights with established knowledge ..." (Gilbert Brockmann, in: ADIZ/db/IF, 2007, p. 2) "It is hard to decide what is better about this book: the pictures or the text. Let's start with the pictures. You look at them and are astounded and numerous adjectives occur to you: radiant, brilliant, magnificent, sharp, informative ... When it comes to the text, I have to admit: Tautz has it easy. ... Not only in the pictures, but also in the text, bees really come alive. ... 'The Buzz about Bees' is the most wonderful book ..." (Hubert Rehm, in: Laborjournal, 09/2007, p. 82) "... The work never comes across as dry or lecturing, not least thanks to the wonderful pictures ... But all nature fans who have always wanted to know 'how bees do it' will find just what they want. In ten clearly structured chapters, Tautz describes the life of the individual bees and of the entire swarm ... Tautz ... links bees and their way of life with many aspects of modern human technology. ... Read it, be amazed - and enjoy a slice of bread and honey as you do so!" (Christine Scholtyssek, in: Spektrum der Wissenschaft, September 2007, p. 92) "... 'The Buzz about Bees' is ... marvelously illustrated ... The pictures are aesthetically attractive, and ... provide rare insight into ... life in the bee colony. Readers familiar with scientific literature will initially be surprised: an academic book completely free from diagrams and tables, and all in an easy-to-read style with linguistic concessions to popular science. ... The book's content provides a graphic presentation of how the 'miraculous' elements of bees' life result from a perfected interplay of physical, chemical, and biological processes in the superorganism of the bee colony ..." (Martin Dambach, in: Entomologie heute, 2007, Issue 21, p. 221) From the reviews of the English edition: "Excellent and Informative, July 26, 2008" "I found this book to be extremely well written and easy to understand. The detail provided in all the information in this book really gives excellent insight into the structure of the hive and the behavior of the bees without getting bogged down in incomprehensible jargon. Additionally, the plentiful photographs are incredible. Anyone who is interested in honeybees should read this book." (J. Desimone, Helmetta, NJ, USA in: amazon.com) "Educational, impressive, entertaining till the last page, July 19, 2008"Last year I was fortunate enough to read Juergen Tautz's book, "The Buzz about Bees". It was hard to put the book down, once I started reading it. Finally it has been published in English and I am delighted that I can share this book with all my friends here in the US. "The Buzz about Bees" is a fascinating and groundbreaking book! Tautz and his team have done an excellent job presenting their research and studies, also the photographs are of very high quality and are quite beautiful. Tautz's approach to understanding the life of the bees is very innovative and inspiring. Many new and mesmerizing facts about bees are presented such as the mammal-like qualities of the bees. The journey through the book continues from "the bee colony - a mammal in many bodies" and moves to the "super-organism", which describes the honeybee colony as an undividable entity and as "an organic interpretation of an individual". The captivating facts put forth by the author are many. Tautz explains "propagated immortality" which is the unique way in which bees proliferate, and the flower wisdom of the bees illustrated with impressive details (ex. bees can gather and carry the amount of nectar of almost half their body weight). Tautz goes on to reveal more aspects of pollination, such as how the flowering world and the bees coevolved on earth, to the extent to which we depend on them
Review
With some 230 fascinating high quality colour photographs
Written in an entertaining easily understandable way
The new fundamental bee book following the standard work of Karl von Frisch
The author, Jürgen Tautz, is a world-leading scientist and a gifted communicator of science
Review
From the Reviews of the German Edition: (Phaenomen Honigbiene, Spektrum, 2007)
"...In small steps, ... the author approaches the deeper nature of bees ... With ... 250 photos, ... the presentation is excellent. Over 50 of them are full-page photos and give the volume ... a particular aesthetic allure. Any beekeeper ... who has ever tried to photograph their bees would be envious. As a basic work, 'The Buzz about Bees' is not only a milestone in bee literature for ... beekeepers, but ... recommended for anyone interested in nature. It links new up-to-date insights with established knowledge ..." (Gilbert Brockmann, in: ADIZ/db/IF, 2007, p. 2)
"It is hard to decide what is better about this book: the pictures or the text. Let's start with the pictures. You look at them and are astounded and numerous adjectives occur to you: radiant, brilliant, magnificent, sharp, informative ... When it comes to the text, I have to admit: Tautz has it easy. ... Not only in the pictures, but also in the text, bees really come alive. ... 'The Buzz about Bees' is the most wonderful book ..." (Hubert Rehm, in: Laborjournal, 09/2007, p. 82)
"... The work never comes across as dry or lecturing, not least thanks to the wonderful pictures ... But all nature fans who have always wanted to know 'how bees do it' will find just what they want. In ten clearly structured chapters, Tautz describes the life of the individual bees and of the entire swarm ... Tautz ... links bees and their way of life with many aspects of modern human technology. ... Read it, be amazed - and enjoy a slice of bread and honey as you do so!" (Christine Scholtyssek, in: Spektrum der Wissenschaft, September 2007, p. 92)
"... 'The Buzz about Bees' is ... marvelously illustrated ... The pictures are aesthetically attractive, and ... provide rare insight into ... life in the bee colony. Readers familiar with scientific literature will initially be surprised: an academic book completely free from diagrams and tables, and all in an easy-to-read style with linguistic concessions to popular science. ... The book's content provides a graphic presentation of how the 'miraculous' elements of bees' life result from a perfected interplay of physical, chemical, and biological processes in the superorganism of the bee colony ..." (Martin Dambach, in: Entomologie heute, 2007, Issue 21, p. 221)
From the reviews:
"Excellent and Informative, July 26, 2008"
"I found this book to be extremely well written and easy to understand. The detail provided in all the information in this book really gives excellent insight into the structure of the hive and the behavior of the bees without getting bogged down in incomprehensible jargon. Additionally, the plentiful photographs are incredible. Anyone who is interested in honeybees should read this book." (J. Desimone, Helmetta, NJ, USA in: amazon.com)
"Educational, impressive, entertaining till the last page, July 19, 2008"Last year I was fortunate enough to read Juergen Tautz's book, "The Buzz about Bees". It was hard to put the book down, once I started reading it. Finally it has been published in English and I am delighted that I can share this book with all my friends here in the US. "The Buzz about Bees" is a fascinating and groundbreaking book! Tautz and his team have done an excellent job presenting their research and studies, also the photographs are of very high quality and are quite beautiful. Tautz's approach to understanding the life of the bees is very innovative and inspiring. Many new and mesmerizing facts about bees are presented such as the mammal-like qualities of the bees. The journey through the book continues from "the bee colony - a mammal in many bodies" and moves to the "super-organism", which describes the honeybee colony as an undividable entity and as "an organic interpretation of an individual". The captivating facts put forth by the author are many. Tautz explains "propagated immortality" which is the unique way in which bees proliferate, and the flower wisdom of the bees illustrated with impressive details (ex. bees can gather and carry the amount of nectar of almost half their body weight). Tautz goes on to reveal more aspects of pollination, such as how the flowering world and the bees coevolved on earth, to the extent to which we depend on them
Synopsis
Tis book, already translated into ten languages, may at frst sight appear to be just about honeybees and their biology. It c- tains, however, a number of deeper messages related to some of the most basic and important principles of modern biology. Te bees are merely the actors that take us into the realm of phys- ology, genetics, reproduction, biophysics and learning, and that introduce us to the principles of natural selection underlying the evolution of simple to complex life forms. Te book destroys the cute notion of bees as anthropomorphic icons of busy self-sacr -i fcing individuals and presents us with the reality of the colony as an integrated and independent being--a "superorganism"--with its own, almost eerie, emergent group intelligence. We are s- prised to learn that no single bee, from queen through drone to sterile worker, has the oversight or control over the colony. - stead, through a network of integrated control systems and fee- backs, and communication between individuals, the colony - rives at consensus decisions from the bottom up through a type of "swarm intelligence". Indeed, there are remarkable parallels between the functional organization of a swarming honeybee colony and vertebrate brains.
Synopsis
With spectacularly beautiful colour photographs, this easily understandable text tells the story of honeybees in a new perspective. Based on the latest data, notably from his own research group, Jürgen Tautz provides a wonderful insight into the realm of bees.
Synopsis
With spectacularly beautiful colour photographs and an easy understandable text The Buzz about Bees tells the story of honeybees in a new perspective. Based on the latest data, notably from his own research group, Jürgen Tautz provides a wonderful insight into the realms of bees. In contrast to the view of bee colonies as perfect societies of selfless individuals ruled by a queen, Tautz introduces them as a "superorganism", a self organizing and complex adaptive system based on a network of communication; a fascinating result of evolution - a mammal in several bodies. The entire range of astonishing bee activities is described. Remarkable action photographs never shown before present bees busy with cell cleaning, caring for the brood, serving in the queen's court, visiting flowers, receiving nectar, producing honey, comb building, entrance guarding, heating and cooling. Spotlights include bees grooming, swarming, fighting, telephoning, sleeping and communicating by high-toned beeping, scents and dances.
About the Author
The author, Jürgen Tautz, is a world-leading scientist with a remarkable number of high class publications and a gifted communicator of science. His writing and popular lectures have twice been honoured by the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) who included him among the best scientists in Europe in communicating science to the public. A gifted communicator and leading scientist, Juergen Tautz has much in common with Carl Sagan, Richard P Feynman, Konrad Lorenz, Vince Dethier and others famous for their work in popularizing science and making it accessible to all.
Table of Contents
Prolog: The Bee Colony -- a Mammal in Several Bodies; Man's Smallest Domestic Animal -- a Picture Guide; The Inevitable Honeybees; Propagated Immortality; Honeybees -- a Model for Success; What Bees Know About Flowers; Honeybee Sex, and Virgin Brides; Royal Jelly -- Designer Diet in Bee Colonies; The Largest Organ of the Bee Colony -- Construction and Function of the Comb; Cultivated Intelligence; Is Honey Thicker than Blood: How Important Is the Family; The Circle Closes; Epilog: The Future for Bees and Mankind; References; Index