Gran’s Bees

Honey-Maker takes us into the beehive for a look through the lens of a bee-loving biologist. Beginning with an overview of the colony, which includes the queen, workers, and drones, the book then divides into sections that reflect the design of an insect: Head, Thorax, and Abdomen. We learn how the worker, the familiar bee we find on our lawns and in our gardens, makes wax and constructs honeycomb, tends the queen, raises all of the colony’s young, forages for and collects nectar and pollen, makes honey and bee bread, dances, grooms, swarms, and stings. We also see the capacity of the honey bee worker to cooperate with other members of her colony and to alter her activities and physiology to meet the needs of her ever-changing colony. Honey-Maker further speaks to our age-old relationship with the honey bee and suggests ways in which we all might contribute to a more habitable landscape. Additional information is available in the Beargrass Press Portfolio.

Honey Bee: The Sun Being is a book for the young among us, including the young at heart. In this work, a honey bee is just finishing her days as a young adult bee working as a house bee inside the beehive. On becoming a field bee, she now must fly far from home and return with goods essential for the survival of her colony. Her adventure is extended with full-color photographs and background text that help explain how the worker bee manages the difficulties she meets along the way. To view additional photos, please visit the Beargrass Press Portfolio.