Buzz is one of the many books that I’m thankful to have received from you my readers, for my birthday. I’m slowly catching up with reading and reviewing all of the books that were bought from my Amazon Wish List. Buzz is a celebration of bees, those furry insects that we depend on so much but often forget about. They’re responsible for pollinating the fruits and vegetables we depend on (that aren’t wind pollinated) and the vibrant array of flowers have evolved to catch their eye (generally speaking). Bees evolved from wasps sometime during the Cretaceous alongside the first flowering plants. Now approximately 90% of plants require a pollinator such as bees.

The domesticated honey bee (Apis mellifera) has captured the human imagination ever since the first days of civilisation. They’ve been the basis of gods, myths and our love affair with honey. However bees are currently facing hard times with declines being caused by factors such as colony collapse disorder. It’s not just our domesticated bees that are in trouble, their wild counterparts are also suffering from the effects of pesticides, habitat loss and climate change. Buzz succinctly summarises the evolution of bees, their natural history and their importance.

There are a number of books out there about bees, but Buzz is the one that I would recommend to anyone who want’s a quick but concise read. Buzz is only 216 pages long, which makes a very quick read. However Hanson doesn’t scrimp on the quality, it’s great to see the usually unnoticed bees given the limelight. Anyone who has spent any time in the wild will be able to tell you that insect numbers have fallen compared to 20 years ago, especially in urban areas. Their loss is one of the warning signs of the ecological disaster that is currently ongoing, however if we lose bees altogether it will be far more noticeable in comparison to say if we lost all of the butterflies (for example).

Buzz is a highly enjoyable read, it’s readily accessible and focusses on a group of animals which are often neglected by conservationists and the public. Therefore to me, it ticks all of the boxes. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as I did!

If you liked this post and enjoy reading this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon where you will also gain access to exclusive content.