Early Book Review: Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees by Thor Hanson

Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees by Thor Hanson is a natural history. Bees are like oxygen: ubiquitous, essential, and, for the most part, unseen. While we might overlook them, they lie at the heart of relationships that bind the human and natural worlds. Buzz takes us on a journey that begins 125 million years ago, when a wasp first dared to feed pollen to its young. From honeybees and bumbles to lesser-known diggers, miners, leafcutters, and masons, bees have long been central to our harvests, our mythologies, and our very existence. They've given us sweetness and light, the beauty of flowers, and as much as a third of the foodstuffs we eat. And, alarmingly, they are at risk of disappearing.

Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees is a pretty perfect combination of personal narration, scientific explanation, and history. I never knew there were so many kinds of bees in the world, and how varied they are. I already knew how important they were as pollinators, and about the current bee population crisis, but Hanson's passion for the subject made even the things I already understood seem new and more important. This is a very accessible but detailed natural history that anyone interested in bees or the need we have for them in order to keep eating might want to read. The information and images are very well presented and organized with a conversational narrative tone that makes it an enjoyable and engaging read.

Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees is just the book I needed. I have always been fascinated with bees, although not as interested as our author. This book gave me all the information I could want and more.