The Buzz About Bees: Biology Of A Superorganism Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
Tis book, already translated into ten languages, may at frst sight appear to be just about honeybees and their biology. It c- tains, however, a number of deeper messages related to some of the most basic and important principles of modern biology. Te bees are merely the actors that take us into the realm of phys- ology, genetics, reproduction, biophysics and learning, and that introduce us to the principles of natural selection underlying the evolution of simple to complex life forms. Te book destroys the cute notion of bees as anthropomorphic icons of busy self-sacr -i fcing individuals and presents us with the reality of the colony as an integrated and independent being―a “superorganism”―with its own, almost eerie, emergent group intelligence. We are s- prised to learn that no single bee, from queen through drone to sterile worker, has the oversight or control over the colony. - stead, through a network of integrated control systems and fee- backs, and communication between individuals, the colony - rives at consensus decisions from the bottom up through a type of “swarm intelligence”. Indeed, there are remarkable parallels between the functional organization of a swarming honeybee colony and vertebrate brains.
Hardcover: 284 pages
Publisher: Springer; 1st edition (May 20, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 3540787275
ISBN-13: 978-3540787273
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.8 x 9.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #442,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #197 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Biology > Entomology #214 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Animals > Insects & Spiders #1132 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Zoology
Last year I was fortunate enough to read Juergen Tautz' book, '"The Buzz about Bees"'. It was hard to put the book down, once I started reading it. Finally it has been published in English and I am delighted that I can share this book with all my friends here in the US. '"The Buzz about Bees"' is a fascinating and groundbreaking book! Tautz and his team have done an excellent job presenting their research and studies, also the photographs are of very high quality and are quite beautiful. Tautz's approach to understanding the life of the bees is very innovative and inspiring. Many new and mesmerizing facts about bees are presented such as the mammal-like qualities of the bees. The journey through the book continues from '"the bee colony - a mammal in many bodies"' and moves to the '"super-organism"', which describes the honeybee colony as an undividable entity and as '"an organic interpretation of an individual"'. The captivating facts put forth by the author are many. Tautz explains '"propagated immortality"' which is the unique way in which bees proliferate, and the flower wisdom of the bees illustrated with impressive details (ex. bees can gather and carry the amount of nectar of almost half their body weight). Tautz goes on to reveal more aspects of pollination, such as how the flowering world and the bees coevolved on earth, to the extent to which we depend on them '- critical in this time where many pollinators are endangered species! He introduces the concept of the ' "comb-wide-web"' to describe the important relationship between wax comb and communication capacities of bees. The talent of the author is evident in his ability to combine excellent scientific work within a wider philosophic framework. As a gifted communicator, he launches this charming and intriguing journey into the beautiful world of the bees and enables us to understand the life of bees on a new and deeper level. In this book you may find, why bees have held humans in their thrall since millennia. All together, '"The Buzz about Bees"' is a fascinating book, with numerous facts and detailed photographs, compelling for readers of different ages and backgrounds. Educational, impressive, entertaining till the last page, this is a book for anyone who is interested in bees, nature, and the miracle of life.
I'm just a regular person who's interested in the world around her--not a beekeeper, scientist, or teacher--and I found this book absolutely fascinating. It is filled with remarkable, and sometimes groundbreaking, information about honey bees and bee hives. It's written at a level that is suitable for scientists and bee professionals but is also understandable for lay people. The images are sharp and absolutely stunning. I think about this book every time I see a bee-like insect or a group of plants being visited by pollinators. It's a wonderful addition to any nature library.
I have been teaching beekeeping for the last 8 eight years. I search and search for reliable material to put into the class. I have found numerous books over the years that have been written by good beekeepers and professors but none write about the inside of the hive. This book is about the hive, the bees in the hive and how they interact with each other. The German's are renouned for their accuracy and research. I believe that they have outdone themselves this time. If you want to understand what happens in the hive this is the book for you. It is written clearly with lots of related pictures. I thank Juergen Tautz for his time and effort in writting this book.
This book has nothing about How to Keep Bees. But after you read it you will know how to keep bees better, it is about the bees themselves. Seriously, after you read this book, you will know more about the bee it's self then most experienced beekeepers. I know, I am an experienced beekeeper and learned more about the creature it's self in this book then I learned from years of keeping bees. A must read even if you don't keep bees.
Very Informative book...I have been studying and keeping honey bees for 11 years and have always wanted to know more about bee-havior.This book takes me into another way of appreciating the honey bee as a super organism and it's symbiotic role with flowers and nature.I thought the book was quite expensive as I just purchased the Kindle Edition. BUT can't really put a price tag on so much information that I find particularly interesting and helpful.I give honey bee lectures and really don't want my talking points to be repetitive and boring... this book has provided me with fantastic insight.Photographs are extraordinary as is the research... it's the best honey bee book I have.Very Pleased... only regret, I wish I had purchased the hard bound edition.
I have just read four books about bees (we have two hives now) and this was by far the best. It is not about bee keeping but about bees in general and I learned so much. The photos were fantastic. I first bought it on the kindle which I can not recommend since you can not really see the wonderful photos. So I ordered it again in hard copy.
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