Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

MEMBER & GUEST INTERACTION SECTION => THE COFFEE HOUSE ((( SOCIAL - ROOM ))) => BOOKS and AUDIOBOOKS => Topic started by: hjon71 on March 02, 2014, 02:12:15 am

Title: Honeybee Democracy
Post by: hjon71 on March 02, 2014, 02:12:15 am
I have borrowed this book from a friend locally who is interested in beekeeping. I lent him my copy of Beekeeping for Dummies, which my wife bought as a joke for me. The joke is on her though because I've read it through twice so far.

Honeybee Democracy, is just as good. The author T.D. Steely takes a scientific approach to study how and why swarms choose new homes. Highly recommend picking this one up.
Title: Re: Honeybee Democracy
Post by: Billy B on March 02, 2014, 10:23:15 am
+1

I originally picked up the book because I thought the quality of the book itself was good, cover art was good, and so therefore the content must be good right?   I mean, how can an entire book about swarming not keep you on the edge of your seat?    Actually, the book is really fascinating and while obviously very much a book about the science and research results it is written and presented in a highly consumable way without ever getting too bogged down.    Highly recommended.
Title: Re: Honeybee Democracy
Post by: Dallasbeek on October 18, 2014, 09:51:07 pm
Fascinating.  This guy has spent his life researching bees.  How can we not love it?
Title: Re: Honeybee Democracy
Post by: Michael Bush on October 20, 2014, 10:20:10 am
Seeley is not only smart, he is a good communicator (writing or speaking).  He makes what he has to say plain and understanable while not dumbing it down.  This is a great book if you want to understand details of what a swarm does.  I think the details help us in understanding other things about how a colony communicates and makes decisions...

Wisdom of the Hive isn't in print anymore, I think.  But that's a great one by him as well.   There is a little overlap but it is a different book with a broader topic.
Title: Re: Honeybee Democracy
Post by: Eric Bosworth on December 09, 2014, 08:07:58 am
I just started reading this. Very interesting. Especially living about an hour from Ithaca. I will say that in 1975 there were a lot more feral bees than there are now however.
Title: Re: Honeybee Democracy
Post by: .30WCF on June 07, 2021, 11:19:03 pm
Seeley is not only smart, he is a good communicator (writing or speaking).  He makes what he has to say plain and understanable while not dumbing it down.  This is a great book if you want to understand details of what a swarm does.  I think the details help us in understanding other things about how a colony communicates and makes decisions...

Wisdom of the Hive isn't in print anymore, I think.  But that's a great one by him as well.   There is a little overlap but it is a different book with a broader topic.
I just ordered Honeybee Democracy the other day. I want a few good bee books around.
I just found this thread. Is Wisdom of the Hive $120 worth of reading. I?m looking for good bee books that are not the standard ?how to? books. I flip through the pages of the ?how to? books when I see them. They generally don?t offer past very beginner info.


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Title: Re: Honeybee Democracy
Post by: Michael Bush on June 18, 2021, 07:28:29 pm
>Is Wisdom of the Hive $120 worth of reading

I did enjoy it... but a lot of it is in Honeybee Democracy...
Title: Re: Honeybee Democracy
Post by: Ben Framed on June 18, 2021, 08:43:49 pm
I have borrowed this book from a friend locally who is interested in beekeeping. I lent him my copy of Beekeeping for Dummies, which my wife bought as a joke for me. The joke is on her though because I've read it through twice so far.

Honeybee Democracy, is just as good. The author T.D. Steely takes a scientific approach to study how and why swarms choose new homes. Highly recommend picking this one up.

Well; Thanks for your insight on reading beekeeping for dummies twice! I was given this book and never opened it because of the title> i realize I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed but the title was just more suggestive than I could stomach. lol. Maybe I will do so now! :shocked: :cheesy: :wink:
Title: Re: Honeybee Democracy
Post by: Kathyp on June 18, 2021, 11:52:06 pm
Ben

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2683.For_Dummies_Series

The ones I have read have been very helpful  :grin:
Title: Re: Honeybee Democracy
Post by: Ben Framed on June 19, 2021, 12:13:12 am
Ben

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2683.For_Dummies_Series

The ones I have read have been very helpful  :grin:

Thanks Kathy!

I think, lol :grin:
Title: Re: Honeybee Democracy
Post by: William Bagwell on June 19, 2021, 12:17:02 pm
 Agree Honeybee Democracy is a very good read! Would rather add one or two
of  Seeley's newer books to my collection than an expensive out of print
one. See The Lives of Bees: for $15.29 and Following the Wild Bees:
$16.95 on Amazon. Anyone recommend either? Or both?


Dummies verses Idiot's. Personally prefer The Complete Idiot's Guide to
Beekeeping: since it endorses treatment free rather than "Thou Shalt
Slather Thy Bees With Chemicals" Apparently Michael Bush agrees since I
see two copies of Idiot's on his shelf.  :wink:
http://bushfarms.com/images/BeeCamp2016/Library3.jpg (http://bushfarms.com/images/BeeCamp2016/Library3.jpg)


Pretty sure that other than the treatment verses TF the two books are similar in basic beginner information.
Title: Re: Honeybee Democracy
Post by: .30WCF on June 19, 2021, 01:41:07 pm
I flipped through the pages of BK for Dummies. My brother has it. I?m pretty sure I saw a page where it says to inspect a hive 5-8x per year.  But there are all different kinds of camps in this bee topic.


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Title: Re: Honeybee Democracy
Post by: The15thMember on June 19, 2021, 02:55:51 pm
Agree Honeybee Democracy is a very good read! Would rather add one or two
of  Seeley's newer books to my collection than an expensive out of print
one. See The Lives of Bees: for $15.29 and Following the Wild Bees:
$16.95 on Amazon. Anyone recommend either? Or both?
I read The Lives of Bees earlier this year.  It's the first full book of Seeley's I've read.  It's an overview of his ideas of "Darwinian beekeeping", looking at how wild colonies live to try and improve management practices for hived colonies.  It was very interesting, very data driven, although I found it to be very quantitative for a casual read, lots of numbers and tables.  I've never read Honeybee Democracy, although I plan to, so I can't compare or contrast it to that unfortunately.   
Title: Re: Honeybee Democracy
Post by: William Bagwell on June 20, 2021, 09:37:31 pm
I read The Lives of Bees earlier this year.  It's the first full book of Seeley's I've read.  It's an overview of his ideas of "Darwinian beekeeping", looking at how wild colonies live to try and improve management practices for hived colonies.  It was very interesting, very data driven, although I found it to be very quantitative for a casual read, lots of numbers and tables.  I've never read Honeybee Democracy, although I plan to, so I can't compare or contrast it to that unfortunately.   

Thanks, have it in the cart.
Title: Re: Honeybee Democracy
Post by: Michael Bush on June 24, 2021, 05:23:14 pm
>Apparently Michael Bush agrees since I
see two copies of Idiot's on his shelf.  :wink:
http://bushfarms.com/images/BeeCamp2016/Library3.jpg

Yes.  I agree.  I noticed they dropped Dean and Ramona from the author slot in the latest version, so I'm not sure what is in it now...
Title: Re: Honeybee Democracy
Post by: William Bagwell on June 24, 2021, 09:50:39 pm

Yes.  I agree.  I noticed they dropped Dean and Ramona from the author slot in the latest version, so I'm not sure what is in it now...

Not finding anything newer than the 2010 edition by Dean Stiglitz and Laurie Herboldsheimer. Other than one very odd ad on Amazon that claims a 2011 edition with the very same picture as the others...

Oh, my used copy was signed! Not to me of course :sad: