The Bee-Kind Garden: Apian wisdom for your garden

by David Squire

The lives of bees are interwoven with our own, but how much do you know about them?

Which scents do bees prefer? How do bees transport pollen? How far can bees fly? Do specific colours attract bees? Do bees prefer native flowers?

Bees are a delight to see in the garden on warm summer days, buzzing as they flit from flower to flower. They are also vital for the future of the planet and without their dedicated pollinating skills, many crops would eventually fail. Then there is honey – a near-miraculous elixir that in earlier generations was an integral part of life as a sweetener and food preserver. It can be fermented with water and yeast to create mead, a drink that has been enjoyed for thousands of years.

The Bee-Kind Garden reveals the many facets of the lives of bees, including their hives, flight patterns and defence. It is filled with helpful information on important topics such as which flowers are best for attracting bees to your garden, beekeeping equipment and guidance for extracting honey as well as the art of talking to bees. It also celebrates the charming proverbs, limericks and verse bees have inspired.

This delightfully illustrated book is a homage to bees and to ensuring that they continue to live in harmony with humans in bee-friendly gardens.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening

96 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

David Squire studied botany and horticulture at the Hertfordshire College of Horticulture and at the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden at Wisley, England, where he gained the Wisley Diploma in Horticulture. For several years he worked as sub-editor, writer and reporter for two well-knownmagazines, before moving to book publishing with an international publishing house.

David has written more than fifty books and contributed to several major gardening part-works. His books have been sold throughout the English speaking world-Britain, North America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand- as well as translated into several other languages.

Reviews

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this quirky little book with its parchment like pages and almost naive illustrations. Lots of interesting snippets of information about bees, I found out loads I didn't know.

[Stéphane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little book, with beautiful illustrations. I want my garden to be even more bee-kind after that read: sounds like mission accomplished for the author.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book with nice illustrations, and an easy to read lay-out. I think it would be more suited to kids in a way, as it wasn’t very in depth, it was like a quick, quirky overview. I found there was only limited information relating to actual planting for bees. It did have some interesting facts in it.

[Joanne Pinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loads of bee information, trivia, folklore, and verse. Lovely.

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the look of this book! So cute and has a old fashioned feeling due to the parchment looking pages and little artwork pictures! Great information inside too!