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Bless the Bees: The Pending Extinction of our Pollinators and What You Can Do to Stop It
Number one best selling book on Amazon in insects category, top 20 in environment and conservation since publication.
"If the bee disappears from the earth, man would have no more than four years to live" Albert Einstein.
This beautifully illustrated edition is meant to educate the reader about the potential extinction of the bees as an indicator of a mass extinction, the last one of which was 65 million years ago. It explains what pollination is, who does it, why its essential to us, what things are threatening our pollinators and what we, as individuals, can do about it.
They have been in existence for over 100 million years, but it has taken us less than 30 years to kill almost all of them off. Honey bees are responsible for pollinating 60% of the world's food supply. Without them, the human race would face starvation. A worldwide epidemic, it has been called the bee apocalypse by Russia's president, but it is worse in the United States than any other country. Since 1972, feral honey bees in the United States have declined 80% to near extinction, and domestic bees in the United States are down to 60%. Since 2006, the epidemic has been referred to as colony collapse disorder, describing the disappearance of entire colonies of bees.
Among the causes cited for this disaster of epidemic proportions are parasites, the decrease in abundance and diversity of wildflowers, insecticides and genetically engineered foods (GMO's) that create their own synthetic pesticides which kill bees as well as other insects. But one thing is for certain-- mankind is responsible for the drastic decline in bee population and the United States government is doing nothing about it. On the contrary, the government has taken measures to make the problem worse.
There is more to this delicate 100 million year old evolution of pollination that just honey bees, who were not native to the United States, but imported from Europe and probably originally came from Africa. At least 4,000 species of wild bees are known to exist in North America alone. All of them are at risk, and this book will show you how you can make a difference in saving them, our food supply, and our planet as we know it.
50% of the royalties of this book will be donated to Bee Bay, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of bees and the environment.
"If the bee disappears from the earth, man would have no more than four years to live" Albert Einstein.
This beautifully illustrated edition is meant to educate the reader about the potential extinction of the bees as an indicator of a mass extinction, the last one of which was 65 million years ago. It explains what pollination is, who does it, why its essential to us, what things are threatening our pollinators and what we, as individuals, can do about it.
They have been in existence for over 100 million years, but it has taken us less than 30 years to kill almost all of them off. Honey bees are responsible for pollinating 60% of the world's food supply. Without them, the human race would face starvation. A worldwide epidemic, it has been called the bee apocalypse by Russia's president, but it is worse in the United States than any other country. Since 1972, feral honey bees in the United States have declined 80% to near extinction, and domestic bees in the United States are down to 60%. Since 2006, the epidemic has been referred to as colony collapse disorder, describing the disappearance of entire colonies of bees.
Among the causes cited for this disaster of epidemic proportions are parasites, the decrease in abundance and diversity of wildflowers, insecticides and genetically engineered foods (GMO's) that create their own synthetic pesticides which kill bees as well as other insects. But one thing is for certain-- mankind is responsible for the drastic decline in bee population and the United States government is doing nothing about it. On the contrary, the government has taken measures to make the problem worse.
There is more to this delicate 100 million year old evolution of pollination that just honey bees, who were not native to the United States, but imported from Europe and probably originally came from Africa. At least 4,000 species of wild bees are known to exist in North America alone. All of them are at risk, and this book will show you how you can make a difference in saving them, our food supply, and our planet as we know it.
50% of the royalties of this book will be donated to Bee Bay, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of bees and the environment.
- GenresNatureNonfiction
130 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 2, 2013
13 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth Eade
52 books180 followersDescribed by critics as "one of our strongest thriller writers on the scene," author Kenneth Eade, best known for his legal and political thrillers, practiced law for 30 years before publishing his first novel, "An Involuntary Spy." Eade, an up and coming author in the legal thriller and courtroom drama genre, has been described by critics as "One of our strongest thriller writers on the scene and the fact that he draws his stories from the contemporary philosophical landscape is very much to his credit." He is often compared to John Grisham, whom many regard as the master of the legal thriller.
Says Eade of the comparisons, "Readers compare me in style to John Grisham and, although there are some similarities, because John also likes to craft a story around real topics and we are both lawyers, all of my novels are rooted in reality, not fantasy. I use fictional characters and situations to express factual and conceptual issues. Some use the term 'faction' to describe this style, and it is present in all my fictional works."
Eade has written twenty novels, which are now in the process of being translated into ten languages. He is known to keep in touch with his readers, offering free books and discounts to all those who sign up at his web site, www.kennetheade.com.
Email: info@kennetheade.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KennethGEade...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KennethEade1
Says Eade of the comparisons, "Readers compare me in style to John Grisham and, although there are some similarities, because John also likes to craft a story around real topics and we are both lawyers, all of my novels are rooted in reality, not fantasy. I use fictional characters and situations to express factual and conceptual issues. Some use the term 'faction' to describe this style, and it is present in all my fictional works."
Eade has written twenty novels, which are now in the process of being translated into ten languages. He is known to keep in touch with his readers, offering free books and discounts to all those who sign up at his web site, www.kennetheade.com.
Email: info@kennetheade.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KennethGEade...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KennethEade1
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 8, 2013
Another plea for Ecological Conscience
Author Kenneth Eade and his wife, photographer Valentina Eade have created a beautiful art book about the bounty of bees and their importance to the existence of the world as we know it. So serious is the progress of our extinction of bees that biologists are calling what we are doing a mass extinction that ranks with the mammoth events of our planets history from the dinosaurs to now.
Few of us may appreciate the gravity of the problem of the use of pesticides on the bee population, and why the existence of bees is necessary for the natural life cycle of our food supply. Pollination of fruit and vegetable blossoms by bees is essential for the creation mature fruits and vegetables, but as we fumigate the air to control pests we believe are endangering our crops, we are simultaneously killing off the honey bees and the pollinating armies of bees so important to our food chain. As the author states, `Since 1972, feral honey bees in the United States have declined 80% to near extinction, and domestic bees in the United States are down to 60%. Since 2006, the epidemic has been referred to as colony collapse disorder, describing the disappearance of entire colonies of bees.'
The book provides documented facts of how we are destroying the bee population, facts that are serious enough to demand world attention. And in order to make this information more potent the book goes through the types of bees and the functions each provides and these chapters are filled with magnificently beautiful photographs of honey bees, bumble bees, bees on flowers, in tandem with bats, birds and other pollinators (there is a fine art photograph of a humming bird in a bed of blue agapanthus that serves framing!), so that the chapters that follow - showing airplanes spraying pesticides and insecticides and fungicides and herbicides that are driving the extinction of these necessary creatures into extinction - all the more poignant.
The book suggests ways of `fighting back', from buying organic foods, avoiding genetically engineered foods and all processed foods (there is an excellent chapter devoted to the case against Genetically Modified Organisms) to working against the powerful chemical lobby and supporting conservation supported preserves. And getting even more personal the book takes the resolution to the problem directly into our homes and lets us know what each of us can do to reverse this tragedy.
This is a very important book and one that belongs in the hands of everyone who cares about ecology and the preservation of the bee population that in turn means the preservation of life as we know it on this planet.
Grady Harp
Author Kenneth Eade and his wife, photographer Valentina Eade have created a beautiful art book about the bounty of bees and their importance to the existence of the world as we know it. So serious is the progress of our extinction of bees that biologists are calling what we are doing a mass extinction that ranks with the mammoth events of our planets history from the dinosaurs to now.
Few of us may appreciate the gravity of the problem of the use of pesticides on the bee population, and why the existence of bees is necessary for the natural life cycle of our food supply. Pollination of fruit and vegetable blossoms by bees is essential for the creation mature fruits and vegetables, but as we fumigate the air to control pests we believe are endangering our crops, we are simultaneously killing off the honey bees and the pollinating armies of bees so important to our food chain. As the author states, `Since 1972, feral honey bees in the United States have declined 80% to near extinction, and domestic bees in the United States are down to 60%. Since 2006, the epidemic has been referred to as colony collapse disorder, describing the disappearance of entire colonies of bees.'
The book provides documented facts of how we are destroying the bee population, facts that are serious enough to demand world attention. And in order to make this information more potent the book goes through the types of bees and the functions each provides and these chapters are filled with magnificently beautiful photographs of honey bees, bumble bees, bees on flowers, in tandem with bats, birds and other pollinators (there is a fine art photograph of a humming bird in a bed of blue agapanthus that serves framing!), so that the chapters that follow - showing airplanes spraying pesticides and insecticides and fungicides and herbicides that are driving the extinction of these necessary creatures into extinction - all the more poignant.
The book suggests ways of `fighting back', from buying organic foods, avoiding genetically engineered foods and all processed foods (there is an excellent chapter devoted to the case against Genetically Modified Organisms) to working against the powerful chemical lobby and supporting conservation supported preserves. And getting even more personal the book takes the resolution to the problem directly into our homes and lets us know what each of us can do to reverse this tragedy.
This is a very important book and one that belongs in the hands of everyone who cares about ecology and the preservation of the bee population that in turn means the preservation of life as we know it on this planet.
Grady Harp
September 7, 2013
I had no idea that the bee crisis was as bad, or that there was so much big money behind the chemical companies, making it all worse. This book was a real eye opener for me. I'm not much of an activist, but this book made me want to "do something" about it for once in my life, and I intend to follow the simple steps in the book to make my small voice heard.
January 7, 2014
Loaded with information
thanks for writing this book! I have ordered a copy to share with friend Now I know why I raise bee's
thanks for writing this book! I have ordered a copy to share with friend Now I know why I raise bee's
December 4, 2023
Very informative book. Open your eyes to a major problem that is overlooked by many.!
October 10, 2013
I love a good nonfiction book. And having grown up in a household that only bought organic foods, recycled everything, refused to have a lawn, and had one parent deep in the trenches at EPA, I was excited to read Kenneth Eade’s timely book about the impending disaster regarding the massive decline in bee population during recent years. Unfortunately, the book fell a little flat, alternating between droning out long passages of facts in the style of my 6th grade social studies textbook, and spending huge portions (Chapters 5-8) on tangents about GMOs.
The information is well researched; over twenty pages of references are included at the end, but at least for me, I learned nothing new. In fact, I found the ‘what you can do’ section rather weak- there was no mention of community endeavors (instead of just individual), or the extremely important act of not disturbing a hive. At times, the text felt like a speech off a soapbox. ‘Dirty business as usual’ in Washington, ‘too big to fail’ companies buying out conservation efforts, and the need for GMO labeling (which I agree with, but it felt heavy-handed and off topic).
Now, I’m not defending EPA practices, before anyone jumps there–there are a great deal of things that have made me (and the parent that works there) heartily disillusioned, but I mentioned it so readers can know I am informed. I think the text could have used with citing their sources more directly, either through footnotes, or saying, instead of ‘a study found’, saying ‘A United Nations study found…’ (which is something I researched when I wanted to fact-check the document). Those small things would have lent a lot more credibility to the arguments as I was reading them. I’m not sure about the intended audience; the grossly uninformed will probably find this very enlightening, but as I’ve been following this debate for several years, it felt very one-sided, and it seemed to only scratch the tip of the iceberg for what it could have been. This is a nonfiction book. Where are your interviews? Where are your credentials? When I read nonfiction of this nature, I expect new things to be said, new theories to be expounded, or critical analysis of the debate to be in the forefront. In this regard, the book didn’t deliver. Adding in the long ramble in the middle section, and a few formatting aesthetic concerns, I can only give this one a three.
The information is well researched; over twenty pages of references are included at the end, but at least for me, I learned nothing new. In fact, I found the ‘what you can do’ section rather weak- there was no mention of community endeavors (instead of just individual), or the extremely important act of not disturbing a hive. At times, the text felt like a speech off a soapbox. ‘Dirty business as usual’ in Washington, ‘too big to fail’ companies buying out conservation efforts, and the need for GMO labeling (which I agree with, but it felt heavy-handed and off topic).
Now, I’m not defending EPA practices, before anyone jumps there–there are a great deal of things that have made me (and the parent that works there) heartily disillusioned, but I mentioned it so readers can know I am informed. I think the text could have used with citing their sources more directly, either through footnotes, or saying, instead of ‘a study found’, saying ‘A United Nations study found…’ (which is something I researched when I wanted to fact-check the document). Those small things would have lent a lot more credibility to the arguments as I was reading them. I’m not sure about the intended audience; the grossly uninformed will probably find this very enlightening, but as I’ve been following this debate for several years, it felt very one-sided, and it seemed to only scratch the tip of the iceberg for what it could have been. This is a nonfiction book. Where are your interviews? Where are your credentials? When I read nonfiction of this nature, I expect new things to be said, new theories to be expounded, or critical analysis of the debate to be in the forefront. In this regard, the book didn’t deliver. Adding in the long ramble in the middle section, and a few formatting aesthetic concerns, I can only give this one a three.
October 14, 2014
I recommend everyone to read this book, and that each of them recommends it to everyone they know. Hugely important.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews