Bees are a delight to see in the garden on warm summer days, buzzing as they flit from flower to flower. They are also vital for the future of the planet and without their dedicated pollinating skills, many crops would eventually fail. Then there is honey - a near-miraculous elixir that in earlier generations was an integral part of life as a sweetener and food preserver. It can be fermented with water and yeast to create mead, a drink that has been enjoyed for thousands of years.

The Bee-Kind Garden reveals the many facets of the lives of bees, including their hives, flight patterns and defence. It is filled with helpful information on important topics such as which flowers are best for attracting bees to your garden, beekeeping equipment and guidance for extracting honey as well as the art of talking to bees. It also celebrates the charming proverbs, limericks and verse bees have inspired.

This delightfully illustrated book is a homage to bees and to ensuring that they continue to live in harmony with humans in bee-friendly gardens.

Autorentext

David Squire has a lifetime's experience with plants and bees. He studied botany and gardening at the Hertfordshire College of Horticulture and at RHS Garden Wisley, where he gained the Wisley Diploma in Horticulture. He also was awarded an N.K. Gould Memorial Prize for his collection of herbarium specimens of native British plants. David's passionate interest in native plants ranges from eating and survival to their historical roles in medicine, folklore and customs.

Throughout his gardening and journalist career, David has written more than eighty books on plants, gardening and insects, as well as dogs and self-sufficiency, including keeping chickens and honey bees. David's books have been sold in twenty countries and The Scented Garden won the Garden Writer's of America 'Quill and Trowel' award.

Zusammenfassung
Bees are vital for the future of the planet, for without their dedicated pollinating skills many crops would eventually fail. This delightfully illustrated book is a homage to bees, revealing many facets of their lives, including homes, flight patterns and defence. It also describes how to attract bees to your garden. The lives of bees are interwoven with our own, but how much do you know about them? Which scents and colours do bees prefer? Do bees prefer native flowers? This book is dedicated to bees and to ensuring that they continue to live in harmony with humans in bee-friendly gardens.

Inhalt

Introduction
**Getting to know bees
Attracting bees
Where do bees live?
Bee-keeping equipment
Talking to bees
Honey, mead and wax
Proverbs, limericks and verse
Index