In spite of its irreverent name, OMFG, Bees!, Matt Kracht’s book is full of good information on bees. Covering a wide variety of topics about bees, Kracht manages to entertain as well as educate. He combines science and humor to convey a multitude of facts about bees while infusing an appreciation for the role of these insects in our ecosystem.
After giving a nod to people who don’t like bees, Kracht distinguishes bees from other striped, flying insects that might sting from hover flies, yellowjackets, and paper wasps to European hornets and Asian giant hornets. He devotes at least a two page spread to each insect and provides a description, taxonomic information, benefits and/or problems, interesting tidbits, and a labelled illustration of the insect. We learn that while some of these non-bees live in communities other, like mud daubers, are solitary.
Kracht turns next to true bees and considers the essential basic facts: the seven taxonomic families of bees, the jobs of solitary bees and those in communities, the way bees make honey, the structure of honey comb, bee communication, how bees carry pollen, and why and how bees swarm. Profiles of 10 varieties of bees follow, each with scientific name, physical description, and an illustration with humorous captions. He starts with one of his favorites, the European honeybee and goes on to describe other charming bees such as the teddy bear bee, pantaloon bee, and the long horned bee.
End chapters include a a discussion of the importance of bees the environment, suggestions for planting a bee garden, emergency care for bumblebee in trouble and, my favorite, famous paintings if bees were added. Among the paintings shown are Manet’s ‘Boating’ and Degas’ ‘The Dance Class’. Sheer nonsense? Yes, but good fun that is sure to bring a smile to face of art lovers. The bonus is that Kracht created a very clever funny chapter with his sharp wit, inciteful comments, and clever wit, using only a couple of “damns” and “effs”.
OMFG, Bees! has a lot more to offer than the title would suggest. It presents the key facts about bees, introduces readers to many kinds of bees and “non-bees”, raises awareness about the importance of bees and their gloomy future, and calls on readers to help save them. The watercolor and ink drawings done by the author are colorful, always amusing, and greatly enhance the text. Kracht surpasses his goal of celebrating the humor inherent in life’s absurdities with OMFG, Bee!.