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Plan Bee: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Hardest-Working Creatures on the Planet
A fascinating guided tour through the history, folklore, and function of the endangered honeybee.
Featured recently in major national news stories because they are disappearing at an alarming rate, bees are the unsung-and absolutely essential- heroes of the food chain. Now they get their due in this delightfully illustrated, fact-filled book, courtesy of a professional beekeeper and nature writer who explores:
• Why honey bees are disappearing-and what we can do about it
• Who's who in the hive-the queen bee, the workers, and the drones
• The role of bees in our food system
• Swarming behavior-what it is, what it means, and how it's controlled
• Bees by the numbers-number of bees per hive, number of wing beats per second, and other fascinating facts
• Bees in folklore, literature, and pop culture
• And much more
Featured recently in major national news stories because they are disappearing at an alarming rate, bees are the unsung-and absolutely essential- heroes of the food chain. Now they get their due in this delightfully illustrated, fact-filled book, courtesy of a professional beekeeper and nature writer who explores:
• Why honey bees are disappearing-and what we can do about it
• Who's who in the hive-the queen bee, the workers, and the drones
• The role of bees in our food system
• Swarming behavior-what it is, what it means, and how it's controlled
• Bees by the numbers-number of bees per hive, number of wing beats per second, and other fascinating facts
• Bees in folklore, literature, and pop culture
• And much more
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
30 people are currently reading
580 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
April 19, 2022
A fascinating exploration of the natural history of honeybees (turns out they aren't native to North America); what it's like to keep bees (expect to get stung!); and some recipes and how-tos for using honey and beeswax.
Check out the author's live bee cam here.
Check out the author's live bee cam here.
August 26, 2009
Fantastic! This is a book I would cheerfully recommend to folks interested in getting into beekeeping, or wanting to understand more about bees or beekeeping. It's a light-hearted and easy read that still manages to deliver good information without being overly scholarly or preachy.
Susan Brackney is definitely speaking from the hive tool and the heart. I found myself nodding at her descriptions, and she manages to elegantly capture the soul of beekeeping. In a book less than 150 pages, it captures some of the history of beekeeping, bee biology, uses of honey and wax, and a note on diseases and CCD.
I wouldn't put too much stock in your quiz results in Chapter 7 (got bees?) - I personally test as get more info! But I do appreciate the meaning behind what she is saying. There is a responsibility, flexible priorities, and physical demand involved.
"Wax cappings can be wrapped in cheesecloth and squeezed in order to drain the last bit of honey clinging to them, and the leftover wax itself can enjoy a second life when made into soap, poured into candle molds, or should the need arise, fashioned into menacing voodoo dolls."
Susan Brackney is definitely speaking from the hive tool and the heart. I found myself nodding at her descriptions, and she manages to elegantly capture the soul of beekeeping. In a book less than 150 pages, it captures some of the history of beekeeping, bee biology, uses of honey and wax, and a note on diseases and CCD.
I wouldn't put too much stock in your quiz results in Chapter 7 (got bees?) - I personally test as get more info! But I do appreciate the meaning behind what she is saying. There is a responsibility, flexible priorities, and physical demand involved.
"Wax cappings can be wrapped in cheesecloth and squeezed in order to drain the last bit of honey clinging to them, and the leftover wax itself can enjoy a second life when made into soap, poured into candle molds, or should the need arise, fashioned into menacing voodoo dolls."
July 8, 2025
A short but sweet read!
Goes without saying bees are incredibly important and unfortunately sometimes get a nasty rep for being aggressive or dangerous when in reality they're too busy to pay you any mind (unless you're being dumb!). Plan bee was split into two halves, the first on bees themselves, and the second on beekeeping. I enjoyed the first half more than the second.Overall though, the book didn't get overly technical and the writing was surprisingly humorous. Would have preferred more info on bee's themselves and the role they play in nature as pollinators but perhaps that's on me for blindly picking up the book because I like bees and the punny title :/
Goes without saying bees are incredibly important and unfortunately sometimes get a nasty rep for being aggressive or dangerous when in reality they're too busy to pay you any mind (unless you're being dumb!). Plan bee was split into two halves, the first on bees themselves, and the second on beekeeping. I enjoyed the first half more than the second.Overall though, the book didn't get overly technical and the writing was surprisingly humorous. Would have preferred more info on bee's themselves and the role they play in nature as pollinators but perhaps that's on me for blindly picking up the book because I like bees and the punny title :/
March 11, 2019
Slightly more info about raising bees and utilizing their outputs than bees themselves, but still enjoyable.
November 13, 2021
This book was actually a hidden gem I found accidentally in the library. I picked it up because I’ve always loved bees and honey and wanted to read more about them and this seemed like a short, quick read. It turned out that this short book is filled with useful, interesting information about honeybees; I’m actually surprised how much information the author was able to pack into 170 pages! I recommend it for anyone interested in honeybees and wants an introduction about them, but of course, if you’re already a bee expert, you probably know all this already. It’s a good, concise, engaging introduction for people new to honeybees and beekeeping.
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March 19, 2024Super easy read, but in fact not everything I ever wanted to know about bees. It's informal and only slightly scientific, with the other half of the book dedicated to beekeeping. If your eyes glaze over with highly technical language, then it's for you, but if you're somewhat well-versed in bees, then I suggest a different book that will give you everything about these fuzzy creatures.
January 23, 2019
4.5 rating. Excellent book on bees and beekeeping. The style of writing is accessible and entertaining. My rating would have been a full 5 except for some of the drawings that I found boring.
I know I will read this again when I set up my hive.
I know I will read this again when I set up my hive.
June 6, 2022
The scientific descriptions of bee anatomy and behavior are exceptionally interesting and give me even more respect for our pollen harvesting friends. And if you enjoy a good bee pun, and who doesn’t, then this is one honey of a book.
December 15, 2023
Absolutely recommend it. It is beautifully written, fun anecdotes and very interesting facts. The pictures are very good and memorable.
A great way of starting learning about bees and beekeeping practices. Excellent for beginners.
A great way of starting learning about bees and beekeeping practices. Excellent for beginners.
April 26, 2024
This book easy to absorb the bee information with a touch of humor added. I 100% would read again. Bees extremely important to us and the environment! I now have a mild obsession with bees that began by picking a random book off a shelf.
August 24, 2017
Bees are so cute, I'm glad I learned about bee society.
January 11, 2020
This was my introduction to beekeeping, and honestly got me to actually invest and start doing it. Well written and accessible.
February 27, 2020
Great book! Now I really want bees!!
April 18, 2020
All you need to know about why not to become a beekeeper.
Interesting and informative.
Interesting and informative.
November 15, 2020
More about beekeeping than about the bees themselves, although there is a fair amount of information about bee physiology and behavior 🐝
May 30, 2021
A delightful, quick read. I especially enjoyed the final chapter on what to do with all of that honey and beeswax.
July 19, 2021
I bought this book wanting to know more about bees, but the information it ends up giving is very little :(
July 19, 2024
Loved it! Love Bees!
August 12, 2024
Bees are amazing!!
January 1, 2025
One of the many books stolen from my grandmother’s bookcase. A wonderful and engaging read that explores the taxonomy, functions, and lives of bees with a constant sense of curiosity.
January 10, 2024
One great book about bees! Also an amazing coffee table book.
September 22, 2015
Subtitle: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Hardest-Working Creatures on the Planet. The author, who is a beekeeper herself, has written this book in a first-person style, with plenty of short accounts of her own travails as she learned how to go about living amicably nearby to a swarm of flying creatures who will, if provoked, tear themselves in half in order to pump poison into your bloodstream.
She is also able to do her research in the more conventional sense, of course, and there's plenty of history here on how the bees behave, and how beekeeping developed. Plus a few parts on topics like how to get a bee beard, or how many bees someone can get to fly into their mouth without getting stung.
One thing that was, for me, especially poignant, was this: the life of the male honeybee. It is essentially like this:
1) eat whatever you want, whenever you want
2) push people out of the way if you feel like it
3) do absolutely no work, except occasional exercise at the gym (ok, actually flying outside the hive just to keep the wings usable)
4) try to mate with the queen on the one and only one time in your life when she's receptive
5a) if you were successful in (4), your penis detaches and you plummet to your death
5b) if you were unsuccessful in (4), you return to the hive and are eventually (sometime before winter) torn to pieces by the females
So essentially you live a completely pampered life, up until the point when it all goes horribly, inexplicably wrong.
There's also sections on what kind of flower garden will give bees something to eat all year long, and how to use beeswax to make candles, a death mask, or soap. Plus how to harvest honey. I found this somewhat interesting, especially the death mask, but in a sort of abstract way divorced from reality, since there is about as much chance of me becoming a beekeeper as there is of me building my own house or car or rocketship. But it was fun to read about how she did it.
This is not the sort of book to leave you with profound thoughts, or mysterious insights. Even with regard to the biggest bee story of the century, Colony Collapse Disorder, she can give only an (admirably honest) "we don't really know yet", along with a few of the leading theories. But it is the sort of book to encourage you to look a bit more closely at something you might otherwise pass by. I must admit, since reading this book I make sure to scan any flowering bush I pass, for buzzing nectar-gathering worker bees. They're usually there, industriously harvesting to support their colony and perpetuate the plant species, and looking far too respectable to take part in any Maenad-like frenzied rending of males. Or so I hope. But I may give them a wider birth come next fall.
She is also able to do her research in the more conventional sense, of course, and there's plenty of history here on how the bees behave, and how beekeeping developed. Plus a few parts on topics like how to get a bee beard, or how many bees someone can get to fly into their mouth without getting stung.
One thing that was, for me, especially poignant, was this: the life of the male honeybee. It is essentially like this:
1) eat whatever you want, whenever you want
2) push people out of the way if you feel like it
3) do absolutely no work, except occasional exercise at the gym (ok, actually flying outside the hive just to keep the wings usable)
4) try to mate with the queen on the one and only one time in your life when she's receptive
5a) if you were successful in (4), your penis detaches and you plummet to your death
5b) if you were unsuccessful in (4), you return to the hive and are eventually (sometime before winter) torn to pieces by the females
So essentially you live a completely pampered life, up until the point when it all goes horribly, inexplicably wrong.
There's also sections on what kind of flower garden will give bees something to eat all year long, and how to use beeswax to make candles, a death mask, or soap. Plus how to harvest honey. I found this somewhat interesting, especially the death mask, but in a sort of abstract way divorced from reality, since there is about as much chance of me becoming a beekeeper as there is of me building my own house or car or rocketship. But it was fun to read about how she did it.
This is not the sort of book to leave you with profound thoughts, or mysterious insights. Even with regard to the biggest bee story of the century, Colony Collapse Disorder, she can give only an (admirably honest) "we don't really know yet", along with a few of the leading theories. But it is the sort of book to encourage you to look a bit more closely at something you might otherwise pass by. I must admit, since reading this book I make sure to scan any flowering bush I pass, for buzzing nectar-gathering worker bees. They're usually there, industriously harvesting to support their colony and perpetuate the plant species, and looking far too respectable to take part in any Maenad-like frenzied rending of males. Or so I hope. But I may give them a wider birth come next fall.
March 12, 2012
Second book about bees in about a month. If you have to choose just one, choose this one. I did like the enthnology and history in the other one, but Brackney is more readable. Now, I have no particular interest in beekeeping or in bees - other than I enjoy most things about nature. Brackney has a style that some might not like - sort of jovial and self-demeaning, but she kept it just at the level that I found amusing not annoying. I actually liked her opening sentence: "This could have been a book about chickens." Until near the end she imparts just about the amount of information I wanted about bee anatomy, beekeeping, bee diseases, etc. I skipped the last couple of chapters with how to build bee supers etc.
A friend gave me a hyacinth about a week ago and I set it outside (haven't planted it yet) near the front door. Yesterday it was covered with bees - like 8 of them. I think it was because I had read Brackney that my heart leapt up at the sight. I talked with the little guys and assured them I would keep the plant for them for as long as I could. There aren't many options right now. And isn't that one reason we read? So some little thing in life has more meaning and delights us.
A friend gave me a hyacinth about a week ago and I set it outside (haven't planted it yet) near the front door. Yesterday it was covered with bees - like 8 of them. I think it was because I had read Brackney that my heart leapt up at the sight. I talked with the little guys and assured them I would keep the plant for them for as long as I could. There aren't many options right now. And isn't that one reason we read? So some little thing in life has more meaning and delights us.
January 18, 2011
Farmer fantasies are all the rage, especially amongst my white-collar, middle-class neighbors. People with no farming background are searching out ways to get their hands dirty, striving to produce beautiful crops and taking well-earned credit for the results of their hard work. When I was a kid, Burpee tomatoes and zucchini were sufficient to fulfill the fantasy, but modern times have upped the ante considerably, adding not only hundreds of heirloom plants, but livestock such as chickens, tilapia, llamas and honey bees to the list of suburban home farming options.
Susan Brackney - a writer from Bloomington, Indiana - initially wanted to raise chickens, but after running into legal obstacles in her municipality, she eventually took up beekeeping, hoping that it would help stimulate greater yields in her large garden. Plan Bee tells the story of her apiarist adventures in nine busy chapters, starting with bee taxonomy and anatomy and ending with an impressive list of all the things that can be done with bee products.
You can read the rest of my review at Plan Bee.
Susan Brackney - a writer from Bloomington, Indiana - initially wanted to raise chickens, but after running into legal obstacles in her municipality, she eventually took up beekeeping, hoping that it would help stimulate greater yields in her large garden. Plan Bee tells the story of her apiarist adventures in nine busy chapters, starting with bee taxonomy and anatomy and ending with an impressive list of all the things that can be done with bee products.
You can read the rest of my review at Plan Bee.
March 15, 2011
Those cute black and yellow flying creatures that can cause us to stiffen in anxiety are really very fascinating. They work a lot harder than I do! Their social structure and communication methods quite advanced. Though their protection weapon is very intimidating, they are essential to our environment. They are responsible for pollinating about 80% of all the plants on the planet. About 30% of what we eat is the result of the activity of honeybees. As much as we usually want to kill them so they won't bother us, we need them. This book is a real eye-opener to these often misunderstood creatures.
September 6, 2011
Plan Bee is a non-fiction book that has proven it self to be one of a kind. Though it has a gratuitous amount of information on bees, it is so well written that the whole time, I fell as if I were reading a fiction novel. Brackney found a way to put vital information about bees in a book that even for someone who wasn't interested in the subject could find it fascinating. She starts from the basic information of a bees anatomy, to why bees do what they do, to the history of bee keeping. The book helped me understand so much more than I did on bees and kept me locked in through out the entire read.
May 31, 2010
A Quick and interesting intro to honey bees written by a bee keeper. Covers a little of everything; colony collapse, how to be queen, bee anatomy and more. Falls in nicely with the current trends of DIY (real start to finish bee's wax projects) and sustainable agriculture (learn exactly how bees contribute and are effected by shifts in cultivation and habitat). There is even a quiz to determine if you have what it takes to tend a hive yourself.
Funny, illustrated and broken into short sections, this would be a great beach read.
August 3, 2011
This is a new favorite of mine. For the average nature lover who knows little about bees, this is a great introduction. This author has the gift of telling you fascinating facts with humor and respect for these invaluable creatures. I have always wanted to have a beehive, but know that it requires a great deal of patience, work, and time. This book gave me a glimpse into that life and made me feel better for having other ways to help these bees with plants and gardening techniques. I hope Susan writes more!
August 3, 2013
enjoyable and educational. read it if you're interested in learning about honey bees. The author has a pleasant way of writing, almost as if you were walking along with her and she was sharing humourous and informative stories with you. Illustrations were decent, however, there were a few things described I would've liked more had there been an illustration with it. Good resources list at the end if one wanted to delve more into the subject.
October 16, 2009
Brackney's book about bees and bee-keeping is a great introduction for those who are interested in honeybees and considering possibly-maybe becoming a beekeeper (including a cute quiz to rate your commitment level). Her style is somewhat narrative with a humorous and educational tone that grabbed my attention but may frustrate those looking for more in-depth explanations. Therefore, I'd highly recommend this book to the bee novices out there.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews