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Heart of the Hive: Inside the Mind of the Honey Bee and the Incredible Life Force of the Colony
Expert beekeeper and swarm-catcher Hilary Kearney offers a unique window into the social lives and biology of these remarkable creatures, accompanied by the photos of world-renowned bee photographer Eric Tourneret.
Readers will be awestruck by the hive as superorganism and how the individual bee lives and behaves within it, perfectly suited to each specific job it performs. From their intricate dances and information-rich pheromones to how they sense and respond to their environment, learn, and remember, this immersive journey into the world of bees offers an entirely new perspective on the wisdom of nature and our relationship to
Readers will be awestruck by the hive as superorganism and how the individual bee lives and behaves within it, perfectly suited to each specific job it performs. From their intricate dances and information-rich pheromones to how they sense and respond to their environment, learn, and remember, this immersive journey into the world of bees offers an entirely new perspective on the wisdom of nature and our relationship to
- GenresScienceNonfictionNature
200 pages, Hardcover
Published September 3, 2024
13 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Hilary Kearney
4 books31 followersHilary Kearney is the author of QueenSpotting and the creator of Girl Next Door Honey, a beekeeping business that offers educational opportunities to hundreds of new beekeepers each year. She maintains the blog Beekeeping Like A Girl and her writing on bees has appeared in Modern Farmer and Gritmagazines. Her work has been the subject of features in Huffington Post, Vogue, Mother Earth News, and other outlets. She rescues wild bee colonies and manages around 90 hives in her hometown of San Diego, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 28, 2024
What a lovely book about bees! The insects that have been shaping our earth and us for millions of years. The insects on which we depend on so much for our survival and yet cause extreme harm without a second thought.
I learnt a lot of interesting things and fun facts about bees, and I really enjoyed the photos included.
Thank you NetGalley and Amber books, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review
I learnt a lot of interesting things and fun facts about bees, and I really enjoyed the photos included.
Thank you NetGalley and Amber books, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review
May 22, 2024
This review contains less than 0.04% bee-related puns.
This book is a natural history on the honey bee by a beekeeper and popular beekeeping blogger. It may start a bit grade school science pageant, but by about the midpoint the author has gotten through the preliminaries on what a bee is, and start talking about how it is, more interesting aspects of bee behavior, life cycle, and the sort of narrative that is a hive. And here it takes off, hitting a good balance between the descriptive and the scientific, still in coffee table mode but with detail on recent research to give it heft.
The photography is arresting, intense, close nature photography, which put me off at first. On further consideration, it works. The book, particularly the back 2/3rds, is more science-focused and discussing different research and ideas about bees, and as such the ultra-detailed pictures are part of that, a scholarly investigation of the honey bee as pictorial accompaniment.
While I appreciated the science, of equal highlight is the author's stories and asides about her beekeeping. These are fun. I like that they both include the more anecdotal, but also the author's interpretation of the other material, the way that her experience informs whatever theoretical idea. And in a thread that may be one of the more unusual that I have brought into a review, the book's dedication to the author's son is about his finding a passion equal to the author's, operates as a sort of sub-theme to the book: the world is full of things that have endless depth to them, and what is best in life is to find what that thing with endless depth is for you.
And when the book ends on the author telling about her love of bees becoming a respect for non-charismatic insect species, and a hope that others might find this too, it made this awwneverter smile.
My thanks to the author, Hilary Kearney, for writing the book, and to the publisher, Storey Publishing, for making the ARC available to me.
This book is a natural history on the honey bee by a beekeeper and popular beekeeping blogger. It may start a bit grade school science pageant, but by about the midpoint the author has gotten through the preliminaries on what a bee is, and start talking about how it is, more interesting aspects of bee behavior, life cycle, and the sort of narrative that is a hive. And here it takes off, hitting a good balance between the descriptive and the scientific, still in coffee table mode but with detail on recent research to give it heft.
The photography is arresting, intense, close nature photography, which put me off at first. On further consideration, it works. The book, particularly the back 2/3rds, is more science-focused and discussing different research and ideas about bees, and as such the ultra-detailed pictures are part of that, a scholarly investigation of the honey bee as pictorial accompaniment.
While I appreciated the science, of equal highlight is the author's stories and asides about her beekeeping. These are fun. I like that they both include the more anecdotal, but also the author's interpretation of the other material, the way that her experience informs whatever theoretical idea. And in a thread that may be one of the more unusual that I have brought into a review, the book's dedication to the author's son is about his finding a passion equal to the author's, operates as a sort of sub-theme to the book: the world is full of things that have endless depth to them, and what is best in life is to find what that thing with endless depth is for you.
And when the book ends on the author telling about her love of bees becoming a respect for non-charismatic insect species, and a hope that others might find this too, it made this awwneverter smile.
My thanks to the author, Hilary Kearney, for writing the book, and to the publisher, Storey Publishing, for making the ARC available to me.
September 18, 2024
4.7 ⭐️
A beautifully written, educational style book, with vivid photos and dripping with intriguing facts about these fascinating creatures. I’ll never see honey bees the same!
In a world where so many humans struggle to figure out what to do with our lives, where we add value, and where we fit in, honey bees seem to have it all figured out, with an innate inner knowing and natural progression throughout their career. The amount of sacrifices and hard work this hive mind performs, is admirable, as they work together and trust each other in ways that’s hard for us to conceive. Everything from the construction of the hive, to raising their future queens, they have life down to a science.
It’s truly amazing to think how 9,000 years of kinship has influenced Agriculture, architecture, religion, medicine and more - across all but 1 continents.
Thanks to NetGalley, Storey Publishing, and Hilary Kearny for providing me with a complimentary ARC to review!
A beautifully written, educational style book, with vivid photos and dripping with intriguing facts about these fascinating creatures. I’ll never see honey bees the same!
In a world where so many humans struggle to figure out what to do with our lives, where we add value, and where we fit in, honey bees seem to have it all figured out, with an innate inner knowing and natural progression throughout their career. The amount of sacrifices and hard work this hive mind performs, is admirable, as they work together and trust each other in ways that’s hard for us to conceive. Everything from the construction of the hive, to raising their future queens, they have life down to a science.
It’s truly amazing to think how 9,000 years of kinship has influenced Agriculture, architecture, religion, medicine and more - across all but 1 continents.
Thanks to NetGalley, Storey Publishing, and Hilary Kearny for providing me with a complimentary ARC to review!
January 21, 2025
4.5 stars. A fascinating review of bees - physiology, behavior, hive life, how honey is made and things that harm and kill them. I listened to the book and also read the physical book to see the wonderful pictures and diagrams that enhance the written word.
October 6, 2024
Heart of the Hive by Hilary Kearney is a beautifully written book that opened my eyes to the incredible world of honey bees. As someone who enjoys spending time in the garden with my son, watching bees, I had been wanting to dive deeper into learning about them, and this book was exactly what I was looking for.
Kearney does a wonderful job of explaining the complex workings of honey bees both inside and outside the hive. I learned so much about their behavior, their roles, how they function as a colony and more. The personal encounters the author shares with bees add a lovely touch to the book.
The photography throughout the book is stunning, bringing to life the beauty and magic of these amazing insects. I highly recommend Heart of the Hive to anyone who is curious about honey bees or would like to learn more about them.
Thank you to Storey Publishing for sending me a copy!
Kearney does a wonderful job of explaining the complex workings of honey bees both inside and outside the hive. I learned so much about their behavior, their roles, how they function as a colony and more. The personal encounters the author shares with bees add a lovely touch to the book.
The photography throughout the book is stunning, bringing to life the beauty and magic of these amazing insects. I highly recommend Heart of the Hive to anyone who is curious about honey bees or would like to learn more about them.
Thank you to Storey Publishing for sending me a copy!
September 3, 2024
This book is so relatable, bold, and lighthearted. It’s also fun to read in the wondrous way the Magic School Bus books were for me as a kid. Hilary Kearney is not scared to drive the bus to all the weird, deep, beautiful, and unexpected places inside the bizarre alien universe of a beehive--and have fun doing it! Needless to say, I never felt mired down in dull scientific exposition. The book design has lots of rest stops for the mind too. Nonfiction can kinda of tire me out, so I really appreciated the pauses offered by the full-page photos, chapter breaks (chapters are short!), and clearly delineated subsections (often titled) within the chapters. I think I could read the body parts chapter over and over. It is so fascinating! I love the personal storytelling in the book and the apt metaphors. Hilary Kearney’s pop-culture references and sensory descriptions were so on the nose they made me write “lol” in the margins a dozen times. Lastly, this book has a detailed, very useful index. When I want to return to some idea, fact, or moment on a whim, that index will have my back.
Thanks to Net Galley for an e-arc.
Thanks to Net Galley for an e-arc.
July 26, 2024
Splendid photos and info-rich text bring the world of bees to buzzing life. A must-read for young and old readers!
August 25, 2024
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Heart of the Hive is an interesting and well written monograph on honeybee anatomy, social structure, and behavior by apiarist Hilary Kearney. Due out 3rd Sept 2024 from Hachette on their Storey imprint, it's 200 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
This is an all-ages, accessible, thorough and up-to-date look at everything bee related. It is slanted heavily towards honeybees (Apis mellifera) but other bee species do get mentions here and there. The bulk of the book is however dedicated to the phenomenally cool honeybee and how they impact our world and how humans interact with them.
The author's an experienced beekeeper and educator who conducts workshops and educational resources, training other beekeepers and new beekeepers how to succeed with their own colonies, and it shines through in the text. Her voice is encouraging, casual, and so enthusiastic and upbeat. It's clear she really loves bees and wants everyone else to love them too.
The book's information is logically arranged: basic introduction including a little nomenclature (not much of that), how bee societies are arranged and what the working parts include, lifecycle, necessary environmental resources (what bees like/need to succeed), anatomy, bee senses, communication, queens and their life cycles, what they *don't* like (and as far as we know *why*), and a general catch all chapter with bee factoids and characteristics.
It's not an academically rigorous book, there are no annotations, and the language is easily accessible. The author/publisher have included an abbreviated bibliography with chapter links, and those resources will provide readers with many more hours of reading.
The book is beautifully photographed in color throughout. Eric Tourneret's macro photography is incredibly detailed and clear, and is a definite highlight of the book.
This is not a how-to manual. It won't teach readers how to successfully keep bees. It is however a good starting point for general learning.
Five stars. It would make an excellent choice for public or school library, home use, smallholder, gardening / allotment /community garden groups, 4-H, extension agency, etc.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Heart of the Hive is an interesting and well written monograph on honeybee anatomy, social structure, and behavior by apiarist Hilary Kearney. Due out 3rd Sept 2024 from Hachette on their Storey imprint, it's 200 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
This is an all-ages, accessible, thorough and up-to-date look at everything bee related. It is slanted heavily towards honeybees (Apis mellifera) but other bee species do get mentions here and there. The bulk of the book is however dedicated to the phenomenally cool honeybee and how they impact our world and how humans interact with them.
The author's an experienced beekeeper and educator who conducts workshops and educational resources, training other beekeepers and new beekeepers how to succeed with their own colonies, and it shines through in the text. Her voice is encouraging, casual, and so enthusiastic and upbeat. It's clear she really loves bees and wants everyone else to love them too.
The book's information is logically arranged: basic introduction including a little nomenclature (not much of that), how bee societies are arranged and what the working parts include, lifecycle, necessary environmental resources (what bees like/need to succeed), anatomy, bee senses, communication, queens and their life cycles, what they *don't* like (and as far as we know *why*), and a general catch all chapter with bee factoids and characteristics.
It's not an academically rigorous book, there are no annotations, and the language is easily accessible. The author/publisher have included an abbreviated bibliography with chapter links, and those resources will provide readers with many more hours of reading.
The book is beautifully photographed in color throughout. Eric Tourneret's macro photography is incredibly detailed and clear, and is a definite highlight of the book.
This is not a how-to manual. It won't teach readers how to successfully keep bees. It is however a good starting point for general learning.
Five stars. It would make an excellent choice for public or school library, home use, smallholder, gardening / allotment /community garden groups, 4-H, extension agency, etc.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
March 4, 2025
Kearney provides a terrific overview of honeybees and their organization.
Honey is an important part of the colony’s diet. It is the bees’ main source of carbohydrates, and it provides them with the energy they need to fly, make beeswax, and perform daily maintenance activities for the hive. It’s estimated that each individual bee makes about seven drops of honey in her lifetime.
A healthy colony requires approximately 100 pounds of honey and 50 pounds of pollen per year to survive, so it dedicates one-third of its population to foraging. Tens of thousands of bees leave their hive each day to gather nectar, pollen, water, and plant resins.
For every pound of wax, it’s estimated that the bees must consume 8 pounds of honey. And the bees use it so wisely that when a pound of wax is turned into comb, it can hold up to 22 pounds of honey!
Pollen is collected, packed into cells and the raw pollen is fermented into a protein-rich food that beekeepers call bee bread. This nutritious, doughlike food contains important amino acids, minerals, and fats and is critical to the development of young bees.
Worker bees excrete a nutritious, milky-white jelly from special glands in their heads and feed it to hungry larvae. This larval jelly is most famously known as royal jelly because of its role in the queen bee diet, but larval jelly is fed to all three honey bee castes: workers, drones, and queens - each caste receiving its own special formula.
Propolis is a multipurpose substance that the bees make from plant resins and beeswax. the bees coat the inside of the hive with propolis. It has strong antimicrobial properties that protect the colony from bacteria, fungi and even viruses.
Individual bees take on a variety of jobs as they age. A typical worker starts as a cleaner and then progresses to tending brood. From there she might build comb or help process nectar into honey, or she may do both these tasks at the same time. Once a worker reaches middle age, she begins to forage. At times, bees may act as heater or ventilator bees, undertakers, guards, honey receivers, wàter collecters or scouts.
Honey bees favor large groupings of the same flower type because they only collect from one flower species per trip.
The honey bees’ alarm pheromone smells a lot like bananas; isoamyl acetate is the main active component.
Honey is an important part of the colony’s diet. It is the bees’ main source of carbohydrates, and it provides them with the energy they need to fly, make beeswax, and perform daily maintenance activities for the hive. It’s estimated that each individual bee makes about seven drops of honey in her lifetime.
A healthy colony requires approximately 100 pounds of honey and 50 pounds of pollen per year to survive, so it dedicates one-third of its population to foraging. Tens of thousands of bees leave their hive each day to gather nectar, pollen, water, and plant resins.
For every pound of wax, it’s estimated that the bees must consume 8 pounds of honey. And the bees use it so wisely that when a pound of wax is turned into comb, it can hold up to 22 pounds of honey!
Pollen is collected, packed into cells and the raw pollen is fermented into a protein-rich food that beekeepers call bee bread. This nutritious, doughlike food contains important amino acids, minerals, and fats and is critical to the development of young bees.
Worker bees excrete a nutritious, milky-white jelly from special glands in their heads and feed it to hungry larvae. This larval jelly is most famously known as royal jelly because of its role in the queen bee diet, but larval jelly is fed to all three honey bee castes: workers, drones, and queens - each caste receiving its own special formula.
Propolis is a multipurpose substance that the bees make from plant resins and beeswax. the bees coat the inside of the hive with propolis. It has strong antimicrobial properties that protect the colony from bacteria, fungi and even viruses.
Individual bees take on a variety of jobs as they age. A typical worker starts as a cleaner and then progresses to tending brood. From there she might build comb or help process nectar into honey, or she may do both these tasks at the same time. Once a worker reaches middle age, she begins to forage. At times, bees may act as heater or ventilator bees, undertakers, guards, honey receivers, wàter collecters or scouts.
Honey bees favor large groupings of the same flower type because they only collect from one flower species per trip.
The honey bees’ alarm pheromone smells a lot like bananas; isoamyl acetate is the main active component.
May 19, 2025
This small book is packed with all kinds of information about bees. The anatomy of bees, how they operate as individuals within the colony, how they make honey and decisions, and much more. Plus there are tons of AWESOME photographs. I'm curious how the photographer was able to get some of them because they are so detailed and appear to be taken inside the hive. I've read a lot about bees and kept bees before (and hope to again) but I still learn things whenever I read books like this. If you're interested in honeybees, this is a great book with a lot of information.
Some quotes I liked:
"A portion of the microbes in the hive lives inside the bees' bodies and is passed from bee to bee during feeding and grooming. Studies have shown that it's critical for newly emerged worker bees to have contact with older workers...It turns out that these microbes are the key to how nestmates recognize each other. They give the colony a unique scent that all the bees share, and this acts like a 'members only' pass into the hive. To test this theory, researchers inoculated bees from the same colony with different microbes and found that afterward, they fought! They no longer recognized each other as being from the same hive, even though they shared genetics." (p. 55)
"Honey bees have an astonishing ability to learn. They can recognize and remember colors, shapes, patterns, and scents. They can count, add and subtract, sequence, and combine concepts that they learn...Bees have also been credited with understanding the concept of zero, an ability few other animals possess and one that even human children struggle with." (p. 82)
"Given the collaborative nature of comb building, some have wondered if older bees teach the younger ones how to do it. One study sought to answer this question by raising bee larvae in round cells. They found that even though the bees had never seen an example of hexagonal comb nor had contact with any bees who had, they still managed to build hexagons...[the bees in this study built comb that was hexagonal but not quite right] This suggests that while the use of the hexagon shape may be instinctual, the fine details of comb construction must be learned.
Some quotes I liked:
"A portion of the microbes in the hive lives inside the bees' bodies and is passed from bee to bee during feeding and grooming. Studies have shown that it's critical for newly emerged worker bees to have contact with older workers...It turns out that these microbes are the key to how nestmates recognize each other. They give the colony a unique scent that all the bees share, and this acts like a 'members only' pass into the hive. To test this theory, researchers inoculated bees from the same colony with different microbes and found that afterward, they fought! They no longer recognized each other as being from the same hive, even though they shared genetics." (p. 55)
"Honey bees have an astonishing ability to learn. They can recognize and remember colors, shapes, patterns, and scents. They can count, add and subtract, sequence, and combine concepts that they learn...Bees have also been credited with understanding the concept of zero, an ability few other animals possess and one that even human children struggle with." (p. 82)
"Given the collaborative nature of comb building, some have wondered if older bees teach the younger ones how to do it. One study sought to answer this question by raising bee larvae in round cells. They found that even though the bees had never seen an example of hexagonal comb nor had contact with any bees who had, they still managed to build hexagons...[the bees in this study built comb that was hexagonal but not quite right] This suggests that while the use of the hexagon shape may be instinctual, the fine details of comb construction must be learned.
May 28, 2024
I want to start off by thanking NetGalley, the author, and publishers for allowing me to read this.
I’ve always had a deep appreciation for bees of all kinds and their cute fuzzy faces but I feel like from reading this I’ve grown an even deeper love and appreciation for them.
The author I feel radiates her passion and love for them throughout the entire book which for me felt like I was sitting in my science class with my favorite science teacher. The one that radiates how exciting science truly is but with bees. 🐝 The entire time I was deeply engaged and enjoyed consuming the information. I even found myself sharing what I was reading with my friends and family.
The photos, by Eric Tourneret, were so beautiful and such a cool up close look at the bees and the hive. They were just seriously stunning (I shared a few you can also find in the Amazon listing where you can preorder😊🤍)
I also have to add how cool it was taking the information of the hive and the bees and comparing it to the Syfy movies and books I’ve consumed (let me say this was mostly me doing on my own but I feel for any syfy fans reading this you’d find similarities I did. Just trying to clarify the author didn’t do this). That concept of superorganisms. How they function. Reminded me of so many movies and books I’ve consumed as a child and adult.
I truly enjoy this read and I can’t wait to add a physical copy to my nonfiction shelf. This for sure is a favorite read for me for this year!
Final Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ve always had a deep appreciation for bees of all kinds and their cute fuzzy faces but I feel like from reading this I’ve grown an even deeper love and appreciation for them.
The author I feel radiates her passion and love for them throughout the entire book which for me felt like I was sitting in my science class with my favorite science teacher. The one that radiates how exciting science truly is but with bees. 🐝 The entire time I was deeply engaged and enjoyed consuming the information. I even found myself sharing what I was reading with my friends and family.
The photos, by Eric Tourneret, were so beautiful and such a cool up close look at the bees and the hive. They were just seriously stunning (I shared a few you can also find in the Amazon listing where you can preorder😊🤍)
I also have to add how cool it was taking the information of the hive and the bees and comparing it to the Syfy movies and books I’ve consumed (let me say this was mostly me doing on my own but I feel for any syfy fans reading this you’d find similarities I did. Just trying to clarify the author didn’t do this). That concept of superorganisms. How they function. Reminded me of so many movies and books I’ve consumed as a child and adult.
I truly enjoy this read and I can’t wait to add a physical copy to my nonfiction shelf. This for sure is a favorite read for me for this year!
Final Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 12, 2024
HEART OF THE HIVE by Hilary Kearney, Eric Tourneret (photographer)
Thanks, Storey Publishing, for the advanced review copy via NetGalley. (Available 3 Sep 24)
Reading builds empathy. It increases our understanding and acceptance of those we wouldn’t otherwise experience, like different cultures, races, gender identities, and religions. Lately, my reading has led to a deeper understanding of other creatures, namely bees (and octopuses, but that’s a whole different post).
As someone who has always been fascinated by bees, I was thrilled to dive into this book. My cousin keeps a couple of hives at my mother’s house in Maine, and there is a colony in the tree by my front door, but that’s as close as I get to them. They’re fascinating and compelling, but I was only learning bits and pieces about them through various memoirs, non-fiction, and fiction (yes, fiction. Check out THE BEES by Laline Paull) and random Google searches. This book, however, provided me with a deeper understanding and a new level of appreciation for these incredible creatures.
Enter the bee textbook. At only 200 pages with glorious full-page photos, Hilary Kearney (@girlnextdoorhoney) gave me a concise, easily understood crash course in all things bees. While only halfway through the ebook advanced review copy, I knew I needed a permanent copy for my shelf. (Hint: If you pre-order a copy via Hilary’s website, she will sign it for you!)
If you are curious about bees and what makes them tick…er, buzz, you will enjoy this gem. Heck, just get it for the stunning photos!
Thanks, Storey Publishing, for the advanced review copy via NetGalley. (Available 3 Sep 24)
Reading builds empathy. It increases our understanding and acceptance of those we wouldn’t otherwise experience, like different cultures, races, gender identities, and religions. Lately, my reading has led to a deeper understanding of other creatures, namely bees (and octopuses, but that’s a whole different post).
As someone who has always been fascinated by bees, I was thrilled to dive into this book. My cousin keeps a couple of hives at my mother’s house in Maine, and there is a colony in the tree by my front door, but that’s as close as I get to them. They’re fascinating and compelling, but I was only learning bits and pieces about them through various memoirs, non-fiction, and fiction (yes, fiction. Check out THE BEES by Laline Paull) and random Google searches. This book, however, provided me with a deeper understanding and a new level of appreciation for these incredible creatures.
Enter the bee textbook. At only 200 pages with glorious full-page photos, Hilary Kearney (@girlnextdoorhoney) gave me a concise, easily understood crash course in all things bees. While only halfway through the ebook advanced review copy, I knew I needed a permanent copy for my shelf. (Hint: If you pre-order a copy via Hilary’s website, she will sign it for you!)
If you are curious about bees and what makes them tick…er, buzz, you will enjoy this gem. Heck, just get it for the stunning photos!
August 29, 2024
Heart of the Hive by Hilary Kearney is the most enthralling and informative book about bees I've ever read. The author's writing is utter perfection, easy to understand and conversational, and jam-packed with details I had never heard of before. Stunning photography and illustrations bring it to life. My appreciation for bees has always been sky high but after this I will forever see bees differently and happily learn more about them as individuals and collectively. I am grateful to live in a forested honey producing region bursting with honey festivals and educational courses for all ages.
I was astonished to learn there are more species of bees than birds and mammals combined! So much information stands out which includes life cycles, the various members of the colony and their jobs (my knowledge was cursory before), the construction of combs, breathtaking growth rate, genetics, larval jelly, anatomy, shaking signals, security system, "balling the queen", bees' dislikes such as banana and fur, flower choices, parasites and rapid aging and mental decline of foraging bees. The complexity and abilities of bees are incomprehensible, especially considering what they must accomplish in their short lives.
Reading this book challenged my brain in the very best way. What a privilege to catch glimpses into the lives and hives of honey bees!
My sincere thank you to Storey Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this outstanding book which exceeded my expectations.
I was astonished to learn there are more species of bees than birds and mammals combined! So much information stands out which includes life cycles, the various members of the colony and their jobs (my knowledge was cursory before), the construction of combs, breathtaking growth rate, genetics, larval jelly, anatomy, shaking signals, security system, "balling the queen", bees' dislikes such as banana and fur, flower choices, parasites and rapid aging and mental decline of foraging bees. The complexity and abilities of bees are incomprehensible, especially considering what they must accomplish in their short lives.
Reading this book challenged my brain in the very best way. What a privilege to catch glimpses into the lives and hives of honey bees!
My sincere thank you to Storey Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this outstanding book which exceeded my expectations.
July 1, 2024
I read a lot about animals and lately there seem to be a few new volumes on bees. They’re all fascinating but I can’t say that I was enthralled. Heart of the Hive managed to do precisely that. As much as it includes scientific information, biological details and technical content, this book is about the bees themselves, as individuals and also as part of the living, breathing organism that is a hive. The language is easy to understand and the information is provided in a straightforward, funny, colloquial way. Kearney, a beekeeper herself, knows what she writes not only from study but from personal experience. From relocating hives, watching them swarm and cooperating with them to build successful colonies. She’s seen them dance, she knows the queens, the drones, the workers, the nurses. She shares their life stories. Each similar but also unique. There are also wonderful photographs and simple illustrations that make it easy to understand the more technical aspects of bee physiognomy. I especially enjoyed chapter 7, that would give the most melodramatic soap opera a buzz for its money. I’d give this book six stars, one for each side of the hexagons that compose each cell but, alas, it’ll have to be just the five.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Storey Publishing.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Storey Publishing.
August 31, 2024
Okay, I absolutely adored this in every possible way.
1. Information. This has SO MUCH information, and it also admits when it doesn't have complete information. I love that, cause obviously we don't know everything. But the info that's there is written well, it's organized well, it's got really good analogies to make it more understandable for people who don't understand bee terminology or habits, very cool! I learned a number of things about bees from this.
2. Organization. This book is organized into chapters that do a good job of sticking to a specific topic (anatomy, queens, etc). Also the start of the chapter pages are adorable and colourful and make me happy. The information also isn't duplicated, so it's not like "oh I read this already". Well organized!
3. The photos. The bee photos kill me. They're so cute. I love them so much.
Anyways, as someone who loves bees, 100/10. I would recommend everyone read this, it's really informative and I think it would help people appreciate bees more ❤️
1. Information. This has SO MUCH information, and it also admits when it doesn't have complete information. I love that, cause obviously we don't know everything. But the info that's there is written well, it's organized well, it's got really good analogies to make it more understandable for people who don't understand bee terminology or habits, very cool! I learned a number of things about bees from this.
2. Organization. This book is organized into chapters that do a good job of sticking to a specific topic (anatomy, queens, etc). Also the start of the chapter pages are adorable and colourful and make me happy. The information also isn't duplicated, so it's not like "oh I read this already". Well organized!
3. The photos. The bee photos kill me. They're so cute. I love them so much.
Anyways, as someone who loves bees, 100/10. I would recommend everyone read this, it's really informative and I think it would help people appreciate bees more ❤️
September 9, 2024
Greatly enjoyed this book. I was laughing aloud and sharing new bee facts with my spouse left and right. Murder balls? Banana-scented alert pheromones? The gruesome fate of drones after mating? I can see a new Netflix series entitled Game of Drones forming, heh heh.
The pictures were stunning and fascinating. The awe and enthusiasm for the subject of bees was infectious and I enjoyed the lovely mix of both the factual and the mysteriously reverent. The choice of and presentation of sections added whimsy and interest to the book as a whole.
Overall, a great read that took me back to the pleasures of exploration of the natural world in book form. I've been stung twice (once accidental, once with a childish not-recommended-in-retrospect idea to catch a bee) and I feel that both experiences have been zoomed out to a wider context and with a deeper respect for these incredible critters.
The pictures were stunning and fascinating. The awe and enthusiasm for the subject of bees was infectious and I enjoyed the lovely mix of both the factual and the mysteriously reverent. The choice of and presentation of sections added whimsy and interest to the book as a whole.
Overall, a great read that took me back to the pleasures of exploration of the natural world in book form. I've been stung twice (once accidental, once with a childish not-recommended-in-retrospect idea to catch a bee) and I feel that both experiences have been zoomed out to a wider context and with a deeper respect for these incredible critters.
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December 22, 2024Hilary Kearney has combed through history and biology to provide a new take on the honey bee that disrupts some of the anthropomorphic interpretations past scholars have made (e.g., Seeley’s Honeybee Democracy) with fascinating descriptions of the beehive as a superorganism with a cooperative, ever-shifting workflow. She spotlights what makes them unique while also investigating how their characteristics make them easy for humans to admire, as much for their work as pollinators and their honey production as for their busy-ness. Kearney learned from honeybees that “magic is real,” and she shares how she’s learned through her fascination with them that “wonder expands with knowledge,” which she shares bountifully to inspire others to “look at all creatures in a different way” because “every wasp, rat, and pigeon is worthy of study, respect, and celebration.”
June 8, 2024
I've enjoyed another book by this author before so I was exited when I got approved for this ARC through Netgalley. Hilary Kearney is really good in explaining everything in an understandable way. I really enjoyed all the information, it was really interesting. There are also beautiful pictures, by Eric Tourneret, which makes the information on the page visual. I've enjoyed 'a little book about bees' by her before and I also enjoyed this one. If you want to learn more about bees, this is a great book to start. I would definitely recommend reading this book!
July 18, 2024
Thank you so much for the opportunity in reading this ARC, the views are my own and have not been influenced by others.
What a lovely book this had me buzzing with excitement I knew a few tings about bees but this book blew me away with the amount of amazing facts, who new what little work a holics they are. Gems of knowledge on every page, I wont bee ignoring them any more and since reading this book have been observing them in a new light. A treasure of interesting facts and knowledge, I wonder what bees would make of us..
What a lovely book this had me buzzing with excitement I knew a few tings about bees but this book blew me away with the amount of amazing facts, who new what little work a holics they are. Gems of knowledge on every page, I wont bee ignoring them any more and since reading this book have been observing them in a new light. A treasure of interesting facts and knowledge, I wonder what bees would make of us..
July 31, 2024
As the daughter of a beekeeper, I'm always learning new things about bees so this book was definitely a treat for both her and me. It's a must-have for bee enthusiasts, as it's well-thought out, incredibly informative, and includes some stunning photography!
You can tell Heart of the Hive was a true labor of love, and it's a great exploration into the incredible lives of these endlessly fascinating creatures.
(Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.)
You can tell Heart of the Hive was a true labor of love, and it's a great exploration into the incredible lives of these endlessly fascinating creatures.
(Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.)
August 24, 2024
Despite being loaded with information, the book is an easy read. I learned many interesting facts about bees, loved the humour and the amount and quality of the pictures is perfect. A very enjoyable book that will come to my mind everytime I‘m watching the bees hard at work in my garden.
Thank you Storey Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.
Thank you Storey Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.
August 25, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of HEART OF THE HIVE.
As someone who is a complete and utter beginner in understanding and having knowledge of the honey bee, this book is an amazing resource for learning about them! I initially requested this book as a research resource to see what I could learn about bees, and it turns out I learned a lot. The way in which the author breaks down the book into sections and gives such easy to grasp descriptions of everything was so helpful. Readers will be able to understand the jobs the honeybees have, their body parts, the way swarms work and how hives operate internally and externally, their likes and dislikes, their stressors, about the queen and how she is chosen, and so much more! I really enjoyed the photographs to represent what is being discussed. One of my favorite additions were the sections including fun facts about honey bees. I highly recommend browsing this surprising read.
As someone who is a complete and utter beginner in understanding and having knowledge of the honey bee, this book is an amazing resource for learning about them! I initially requested this book as a research resource to see what I could learn about bees, and it turns out I learned a lot. The way in which the author breaks down the book into sections and gives such easy to grasp descriptions of everything was so helpful. Readers will be able to understand the jobs the honeybees have, their body parts, the way swarms work and how hives operate internally and externally, their likes and dislikes, their stressors, about the queen and how she is chosen, and so much more! I really enjoyed the photographs to represent what is being discussed. One of my favorite additions were the sections including fun facts about honey bees. I highly recommend browsing this surprising read.
September 9, 2024
This book is absolutely gorgeous!! Its FULL of beautiful photographs and soooo much bee info!!! I'm a second year beekeeper and found LOTS of good information about bees. This book is for those new to bees, those that are already invested heavily in bees and those that are just interested. I can't say enough about the photographs!!! They are truly amazing.
December 5, 2025
HEART OF A HIVE is written & narrated by the author, lecturer Hilary Kearney, bee keeper and swarm catcher. The audio presents 4.5hrs of detailed science-based information about the bee with pdf files included. This is a beginning source for anyone considering bee keeping, gardeners interested in the subject and others. The narration is well done.
November 7, 2024
I’ve been following Hilary for years and love how knowledgeable she is in terms of honey bees, her garden and how it all works together.
We could all learn a thing or two about working together like honey bees do.
We could all learn a thing or two about working together like honey bees do.
January 7, 2025
informative and well written
I enjoyed reading this book. Not only was it informative and the book is well written. This book is for beekeepers, whatever their experience, and for the general public.
I enjoyed reading this book. Not only was it informative and the book is well written. This book is for beekeepers, whatever their experience, and for the general public.
February 14, 2025
What a fascinating read, positing the symbiotic relationship between the evolution of bees and humans, and delivering a wide range of mind-blowing facts about honeybees, even when you think you already knew a LOT. A totally delightful read!
March 12, 2025
An exceptionally well written and detailed look inside the life of honeybees. For anyone interested in the natural world, this is a must read. Packed with information and illustrated with beautiful photographs.
August 1, 2024
I immensely enjoyed reading this. It was a great view into the lives of bees. The photographs were great and I loved learning even more about such a great topic.
September 22, 2024
Fascinating stuff!
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