The most comprehensive and up-to-date general reference book on honey bee biology
Honey bees are marvelously charismatic organisms with a long history of interaction with humans. They are vital to agriculture and serve as a model system for many basic questions in biology. This authoritative book provides an essential overview of honey bee biology, bringing established topics up to date while incorporating emerging areas of inquiry.
Honey Bee Biology covers everything from molecular genetics, development, and physiology to neurobiology, behavior, and pollination biology. Placing special attention on the important role of bees as pollinators in agricultural ecosystems, it incorporates the latest findings on pesticides, parasites, and pathogens. This incisive and wide-ranging book also sheds vital light on the possible causes of colony collapse disorder and the devastating honey bee losses we are witnessing today.
The study of honey bees has greatly expanded in recent years and there is more interest in these marvelous creatures than ever before. Honey Bee Biology is the first up-to-date general reference of its kind published in decades. It is a must-have resource for social insect biologists, scientifically savvy beekeepers, and any scientist interested in bees as a model system.
"It is not an exaggeration to say that the honey bee is the most well understood insect. We know more about Drosophila genetics, but our integrative understanding of that species pales in comparison to our understanding of every facet of honey bee biology. Despite the tremendous growth in our understanding of honey bee biology, the last comprehensive book on topic was published in 1987. In this book, Brian Johnson offers a comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of honey bee biology. The book covers classic topics such as physiology, communication, division of labor, and reproduction as well as areas that were barely known decades ago such as genomics, cognition, toxicology, and immunity. He concludes with a discussion of honey bees as managed pollinators and conservation issues. Throughout, Johnson also offers his analysis and evaluation of key studies and areas of research. Ultimately, this book is likely to be the new standard reference on honey bee biology and an invaluable resource for anyone with a serious interest in these fascinating organisms"--
"[A} valuable resource for students interested in a deeper understanding of the biology, functioning, and organization of honey bees."
---Arathi Seshadri, The Quarterly Review of Biology
