Prelims 1-5
Why we love bees 6-9
Why bees are important; which foods they pollinate; different species of bee (include 'killer' honeybees).
What's inside a hive? 10-13
The queen, workers, and drones; how the queen controls the other bees through chemicals; the lifecycle of the hive; how bees tell their sisters about food with the waggle dance; swarming.
Bee products 14-15
The amazing properties of honey and other bee products-propolis, beeswax, royal jelly, bee bread, mead, bee pollen, bee venom.
Humans and honeybees 16-17
A brief history about how humans have lived with bees; how these incredible creatures have inspired poets, writers, and artists; how they've influenced science (for example, honeybees have been used to detect illegal substances at airports).
An introduction to beekeeping 18-21
From the equipment you need, to the different types of hives, to what you'll need to do throughout the year to look after your hive. An introduction to urban beekeeping.
Different types of bees 22-25
It's not just honeybees! Bumblebees (buzz pollination with tomatoes and blueberries); mining bees (who make nests in burrows and holes in the wall. Also other pollinators such as hoverflies, butterflies, and beetles: flies pollinate chocolate; wasps pollinate figs.
Why bees love flowers 26-29
Why bees need pollen and nectar; how different flower shapes attract different bees; how color attracts.
Why are bees struggling? 30-33
Threats to bees-pesticides, diseases, fewer flowers, having further to travel (fragmentation) to find good places to nest and feed; how climate change is altering our weather patterns and confusing the bees; the introduction of other nasty species such as the varroa mite.
How we can help 34-39
Plant more flowers; leave areas bare; provide water, and nesting areas such as bare ground and compost heaps; go organic; make a bee hotel for solitary bees; guerrilla gardening and how to make your own seed bombs.
Plants for bees 40-43
Is it a weed? Year-long planting; plants that are bad for bees; favorite flowers; wonderful wildflowers; herbs and hedges.
Urban gardening 44-47
What to do if you only have a small garden or yard (using window boxes, hanging baskets, pot plants, or plant racks for space saving); and Thinking Big! (green roofs or community meadows).
Plus 22pp of extras including:
* 4 sheets of stickers;
* Lift-up hive (revealing the secret life of honeybees);
* Waggle-Dance fold-out game;
* Pollinator bingo scoring sheets;
* Honeybee Lovers' Society membership cards;
* And the Wheel of Honey (just turn the dial to discover the amazing properties of bee venom and bee bread!)
