What a Bee Knows, by Stephen Buchmann, is a guide to understand the complexities of bee behavior. As a pollination ecologist, the author has extensive experience with bees and the research concerning them. He shares his knowledge as he reveals the ways both social and solitary bees solve a myriad of problems as they conduct their daily lives. As Buchmann explores the thoughts, memories, and personalities of bees, readers may be amazed, shocked, or incredulous, but all will look at bees in a new way.
After discussing the characteristics, origins, evolution, life cycle, and diversity of bees, Buchmann lays the foundation for his work by describing the brain of the bee. He goes on to discuss what bees sense and perceive, how they find a mate, and the relationship between bees and the flowers they visit. The author asserts that bees can count, feel pain, learn and store learning in memory, and that they sleep and possibly dream. In all discussions the author is careful to explain and define his terms and cites studies that back up his assertions. End materials include a discussion of threats to bee survival, suggestions for helping bees face the threat, extensive end notes, and an index.
What a Bee Knows is an eye-opening book about the mental capacities of bees. The author has a straightforward, meticulous writing style and keeps the vocabulary reasonably non-technical. Sometimes he includes a large amount of research data and explanations on humans and other animals that is informative but can be tedious, especially if your main interest is bees. On the other hand, the information provides context and a source of comparison so has value to the over-all presentation.
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