Bees Make the Best Pets: All the Buzz about Being Resilient, Collaborative, Industrious, Generous, and Sweet-Straight from the Hive

by Jack Mingo

Writer and beekeeper, Jack Mingo, who set up his first backyard hive in 2004, offers his humorous and unique observations of the world of the mystical, matriarchal, gentle, sweet bee in "Bees Make the Best Pets."

Full of fun facts, Mingo shares a potpourri of bee and bee-keeping trivia; practical tips and legend and lore. And here are just some of the reasons bees make the best pets:
They don't bark and whine all night if you leave them in the backyard. In fact, they rather prefer it.Bees don't demand petting, attention, or a food dish. They find their own food.Bees greet you with honey for your toast and beeswax for your candles, not dead mice.You will never be tempted to succumb to your worst self, dress your bees in funny costumes, and humiliate them on YouTube.When bees pay attention to your plants, it's not to dig them up. They actually help them blossom, bear fruit, and thrive.Bees don't track mud, poison ivy, or fleas into your house.Bees don't have kittens.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Humor

174 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2013

Reviews

[Zalira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Mingo geht mit sehr viel Witz und Lockerheit an das Thema Biene ran. Als Hobbyimker erklärt er wie es zu seiner Leidenschaft für diese kleinen Tiere kam, gibt teilweise Tipps zur Bienenzucht und teilt seine eigenen Erfahrungen.
Das Buch ist eine interessante Mischung aus Informationen rund um die Biene und einer spannenden Erzählung. Man lernt viel dazu und bekommt dadurch einen ganz neuen Blick für die Natur. Im Zentrum seines Buches steht dabei die These, dass Bienen die besseren Haustiere sind, was er im Laufe des Buches immer wieder argumentiert.

„Drohnen sind die wenigen Männchen in einem Bienenstock. Ihre Rolle interpretieren sie als verwöhnte Gigolos, die herumhängen, nichts tun und von der Arbeit ihrer Schwestern leben.“ (Mingo, S. 29)

Was mir an Jack Mingo am meisten gefallen hat, ist seine Art Fakten in Worte zu packen und dem Leser dadurch auf spielerische, lustige Weise zu vermitteln, so werden die männlichen Drohnen zu Gigolos und die Wächterbienen zu Türstehern.
Neben all den witzigen Vergleichen und Erklärungen greift Jack Mingo aber auch ernstere Themen, wie das Bienensterben und Bedrohungen durch Parasiten auf.

„Wenn die Biene vom Antlitz der Erde verschwindet, hat die Menschheit nur noch vier Jahre zu leben.“ (Albert Einstein zugeschrieben)

Seit dem Buch weiß ich auch, dass dieses Zitat nur fälschlicherweise Albert Einstein zugeschrieben wird. Aber selbst wenn die Aussage von unbekannter Quelle stammt, steckt dahinter doch ein wahrer Kern. „Die Biene“ ist essentiell für die Blütenbestäubung und damit wichtig für das ganze Ökosystem. Man sieht viel zu vieles um sich herum als Selbstverständlichkeit an. Auch die Biene. Erst wenn man dieses kleine faszinierende Geschöpf immer seltener sieht und sich über dessen Rolle für die ganze Welt bewusst wird, lernt man diese Kleinigkeiten zu schätzen und über die wirklich wichtigen Dinge des Lebens nachzudenken.
Das Buch eignet sich auch als Beilektüre für „Die Bienen“ von Laline Paull sehr gut. Ich zumindest habe die Bücher parallel gelesen und man erhält dadurch ein umfangreiches Verständnis für die Vorgänge in einem Bienenstock.

Ein Buch für Bienenliebhaber, solche die es werden wollen.. kurz gesagt: für jeden. Ein Buch mit interessanten Fakten rund um das sozialste Tierchen der Welt, das richtig gut geschrieben und aufgebaut ist.
Gerade weil es immer weniger Bienen gibt, sollte man sich an dieser Stelle auch mit dem Begriff „Nachhaltigkeit“ auseinandersetzen.
Auch noch ein herzliches Dankeschön an den Riemann Verlag, der Randomhouse Verlagsgruppe, für das Rezensionsexemplar.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book; it made me laugh and was informative about beekeeping. I also enjoyed the life lessons. I read this in tandem with a graphic novel about bees, which made both books better.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is humorous, but fortunately, it takes bees very seriously. This delightful blend of attributes makes for a satisfying read, even for people who don't want to keep bees, but just want to know about them.

[K LF · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read an electronic version. Great autobiographical story of beekeeper and his bees.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun. Part memoir, part encyclopedia.

[Laurel Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and informative book for anyone who is interested in Bees or Beekeeping.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not like bees. So why did I read this book? It's like the saying of keep your friends close and your enemies closer. The more I can learn about them the better we can coexist on this planet peacefully. Jack Mingo writes a funny book. It was full of good stories and corny jokes. It didn't cause me to want to go become a bee keeper but it might inspire others. It is a great book for anyone interested in bees or thinking about becoming a bee keeper. Jack tells his story of how he go started and about various bumps he encountered along the way. I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads

[Cassandra Carico · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very cute and full of "dad" humour. I rather enjoyed it, even though the author goes a bit overboard sometimes in his attempts to bee funny. ;-)

So much of this fella's insights about bees I agree with, and really enjoyed reading his ideas. However, there are a lot of bits that I don't agree with. This just proves his theory that if you put three beekeepers in a room, ask them a question, then you will get four different answers.

It was a quick read and I definitely do recommend it to anyone with a prior knowledge of bees that would like a bit of entertainment.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book as a First Reads winner and was really excited. I have been interested in keeping bees for a couple of years now and was hoping to gain some knowledge from reading this book. The author seems to really know what he is doing-I was just hoping it would be more informational. It was a fun read nevertheless! Made me want to get some bees even more than before.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice work, Jack! Fun to read, interesting read, educational at times (but you don't notice it as you go along). Jack has a wonderful relationship with his bees and has written this book for everyone to enjoy. Read it - soon!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this little book! It was entertaining but also filled to the brim with interesting facts about bees. I've always found bees fascinating and this book combines wit with facts so it was the perfect quick read! Definitely recommend this one!

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Jack Mingo's approach to beekeeping and life. He respects his bees. He has taken the time to observe and learn from them about them.

I enjoyed this book very much, and I was convinced to change the way we harvest honey.
Thanks, Jack!

[Peta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good read, it's well written and I like that it's not a manual rather an account of one mans experience and fun things he has learned along the way about his bees.