Where Have All the Bees Gone?: Pollinators in Crisis

by Rebecca E. Hirsch

Apples, blueberries, peppers, cucumbers, coffee, and vanilla. Do you like to eat and drink? Then you might want to thank a bee.

Bees pollinate 75 percent of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in the United States. Around the world, bees pollinate $24 billion worth of crops each year. Without bees, humans would face a drastically reduced diet. We need bees to grow the foods that keep us healthy.

But numbers of bees are falling, and that has scientists alarmed. What's causing the decline? Diseases, pesticides, climate change, and loss of habitat are all threatening bee populations. Some bee species teeter on the brink of extinction. Learn about the many bee species on Earth -- their nests, their colonies, their life cycles, and their vital connection to flowering plants. Most importantly, find out how you can help these important pollinators.

"If we had to try and do what bees do on a daily basis, if we had to come out here and hand pollinate all of our native plants and our agricultural plants, there is physically no way we could do it. . . . Our best bet is to conserve our native bees." --ecologist Rebecca Irwin, North Carolina State University

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Animals, Science, Nature, Climate Change

104 pages, ebook

Published February 4, 2020

About the author

Rebecca E. Hirsch is a botanist-turned-writer and the author of more than 80 science and nature books for children. Her books have won a Riverby Award, a Green Prize for Sustainable Literature, a Green Earth Book Award Honor, and many starred reviews. www.rebeccahirsch.com

Reviews

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possibly all you could want to know and it's a great place to start on the topic as well.

[Harsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book did a great job at explaining the issue behind the decline of bee population.
Great tool of research for a school project.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wait, you don't already know I love books about animals? Well, I'll say it again. I love books about animals.

And the bee, especially bees that seem to be disappearing because of our use of pesticides, colony collapse, disease, destruction of their environment, etc., is an intriguing animal anyway. Yes there were pieces I already knew that are included and I'm okay with that. But it's also got a very specific purpose: bees are becoming endangered so wake up and help fix it because they're important to our world specifically our food.

Amen, Hirsch, amen.

[Julei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Go bees!!!! can’t wait to plant a wildflower garden and encourage pollinator pathways in my town (thanks Seattle U for championing this!) I was surprised how little we know about bee decline as few historical records exist. Insecticides (like neonics) need on going research and the politics around this are disturbing.

[Linda Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for middle schoolers. Written clearly- I learned some things.

[Glynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very short book seemingly written for young adults. It is a fascinating overview of bees and especially bumblebees, and the struggle they are facing to survive in an ever changing environmentally unfriendly world.

I was amazed to learn about the many aspects of bumblebees and bees in general and what is happening to them. I was surprised to learn that we know very little about many populations of bees in the world, that 140 million years ago there were no bees on Earth, and also surprised that we have substituted one poison, DDT, for another, Neonicontinoids, and that the fight continues to outlaw this deadly pesticide.

All in all, this was a fun and informative read and highly recommended to young and old.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where Have all the Bees Gone? By Rebecca E. Hirsch, 104 pages. NON-FICTION. Twenty-First Century Books (Lerner), 2020.

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

The quote by naturalist John Muir included at the beginning of chapter 5 sums up much of what this book presents: “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” This book looks into all of those connections from the evolution of bees to what bees provide to all the reasons they are disappearing.

The author does a good job at grabbing the readers attention by starting with an expedition to find one particular kind of bee that appears to have disappeared. I immediately felt invested in him finding it. Because I was enjoying the narrative, I skipped over all the added notes on several of the pages and had to come back to them. I think these prolific pieces of extra information in the book detract from the main text.

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Rebecca Hirsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book grew out of my work as a volunteer gardener at the Snetsinger Butterfly Garden, a 3-acre field full of plants for pollinators in my central Pennsylvania town. Working side-by-side in the garden with pollinator experts, I heard them talk a lot about bees in trouble—and not just honey bees, but all sorts of bees. Those conversations propelled me down the path that led to this book.

I'm so pleased with the way this book came out. It is full of beautiful photographs and fascinating bee facts. I hope people who read it will bee inspired and want to protect pollinators as much as I do.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like bees and have ever wanted to know anything about them, then this is definitely the book for you! It's chock full of all kinds of information you likely have never known about pretty much every kind of bee that exists. Start with the history of their disappearance being noted, the history of us learning about their importance in relation to plants, notes about the different types, to the theories as to why they are disappearing. You even get ideas on how to help conserve the population.

This book appears to be well-researched and contains many expert quotations. It's totally the kind of book that I would have loved to use for research in my school days. You also get lots of great pictures and some diagrams. The author includes extensive research sources and a bibliography, as well as a glossary and plenty of resources for further information.

It is wordy, so I suggest it for older elementary into middle and high school readers.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Chapter · Rating 4 out of 5]

from goodreads site:
Apples, blueberries, peppers, cucumbers, coffee, and vanilla. Do you like to eat and drink? Then you might want to thank a bee.

Bees pollinate 75 percent of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in the United States. Around the world, bees pollinate $24 billion worth of crops each year. Without bees, humans would face a drastically reduced diet. We need bees to grow the foods that keep us healthy.

But numbers of bees are falling, and that has scientists alarmed. What's causing the decline? Diseases, pesticides, climate change, and loss of habitat are all threatening bee populations. Some bee species teeter on the brink of extinction. Learn about the many bee species on Earth -- their nests, their colonies, their life cycles, and their vital connection to flowering plants. Most importantly, find out how you can help these important pollinators.

"If we had to try and do what bees do on a daily basis, if we had to come out here and hand pollinate all of our native plants and our agricultural plants, there is physically no way we could do it.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The possible extinction bees are threatened with is presented in a very organized and methodical way. Along the way, I also learned some fascinating things about bees! I actually laughed when reading about how some bees use static electricity to help them collect pollen. "Bees also get a boost from electricity. As a bee flies, its tiny hairs bump into electrically charged particles of air. The bee's body acquires a positive electrical charge from those particles. Flowers tend to be negatively charged, and negative and positive charges attract each other. As a positively charged bee approaches a negatively charged flower, the pollen literally flies from the flower to the bee, drawn by static electricity" (Hirsch 27). This really made me realize just how good bees are at their job, and how much trouble we would have replacing them if they were to disappear.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young adult nonfiction. I have heard about the diminishing numbers of bee populations and have heard various theories about the cause. This book talks not about one single cause but multiple intersecting causes. Hirsch addresses habitat loss due to urbanization, climate change, fungus and parasites, and the use of pesticides. She also discusses the commercial overseas bee trade and how that contributes. A quick read that has solid information but doesn't get overly science-y. Extensive back matter includes author's note, glossary, source notes, suggested additional books and websites, and an index.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fascinating and quick read. I learned so much about bees, the dangers they face, why we need them, and how we can help. The writing is very concise, and I loved looking at the photographs. My only beef with the book is it was difficult to tell what age group the author was aiming at. Some words were defined while others felt glossed over, some information felt broken down to an understandable level and some felt like an onslaught of facts, etc. I would say upper elementary at the youngest. Great info and would generally recommend.

[Sharon Purucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best way to learn about a subject is to read a young adult or children's book. I'm interested in the reduction of the bee population, but didn't want to read an academic book (or any long book for that matter). I was willing to read a short book that would relay the information in a quick and precise way. This book does just that! It is more than pesticides that are decimating the bees, and there is a need for more pollinator gardens using bee friendly methods. Only drawback is that I would have loved more photos identifying the different types of bees.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pretty fascinating look at bees (DYK there are more than 20,000 species of bees worldwide?!), their role in our food chain (without bees, we'd likely die of scurvy!), and the reasons behind their decline in population (insecticides, bee factories.)

I'll be taking a much closer look at bees in the future and will be planting a pollination garden. We must save the bees!! I want everyone to read this book.

[Lisa Houston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is a MUST read book in science class. I learned so much about bees and what I can do to help. I will be planting wildflower gardens this fall. I always said, “A good nonfiction book makes you want to read more about the subject.” I’ll be reading more about bees and planting wildflowers.

[Kasey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book! I found it informative and accessible. While this book is geared toward middle grade readers (I would say fourth to eighth grade), high school and adult readers would also likely enjoy it. Rebecca E. Hirsch does an excellent job of explaining a variety of scientific topics without talking down to you. I would definitely recommend this book and author!

[Ashutosh Sahu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple little book about bees, geared towards kids (I think).

I was a little surprised that it did not mention studies suggesting that Cell Phone towers were partially implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder, with the transmitters interfering with the Bee's electrical senses.

[Joanne Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very informative book in the current status of bees. I found great ideas for things I can do at home.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much information! And a complicated and multifaceted story that is told fairly objectively in this book. Includes ideas for actions to take. Many images and sidebars.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptional and accessible! A good avenue into environmental activism for teens.

[Heather Burroughs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked that the book provided just enough information that I learned new things without being overwhelmed with complicated science language. It was short, sweet and to the point.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great resource. I am now on the lookout for bees. I am taking pictures to see if I have more than one species.

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting information overall. Not particularly written well, especially the unnecessary political jabs.

[Tressa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another excellent non-fiction title (and heartbreaking). Save the bees!

[Estee Hull · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informational in a format that was very easy to understand

[Stacy Bruker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bees

Interesting read, quick overview of pollinator crisis. Read for summer reading olympics for my middle school, reading the books we’re going to have kids read this year.

[Megan McGuirk-Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

so much new information to me! Definitely recommend to everyone who likes to eat food. 😉

[Tweller83 · Rating 4 out of 5]

OWLs readathon: Charms: read a book with a white cover

I liked this book, it was readable and answered lots of questions without getting too preachy (at least for me). I hope some of my students will pick this book up.

[Destiny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really fun, easy to understand break down of the state of the world's bees. It was a quick read and definitely something everyone should look into, since bees are vital to our environment. I definitely recommend :)