From ancient cave paintings of honey bee nests to
modern science's richly diversified investigation of
honey bee biology and its applications, the human
imagination has long been captivated by the mysterious
and highly sophisticated behavior of this paragon among
insect societies. In the first broad treatment of honey
bee biology to appear in decades, Mark Winston provides
rare access to the world of this extraordinary insect.
In a bright and engaging style Winston probes the
dynamics of the honey bee's social organization. He
recreates for us the complex infrastructure of the nest,
describes the highly specialized behavior of workers,
queens, and drones, and examines in detail the
remarkable ability of the honey bee colony to regulate
its functions according to events within and outside the
nest. Winston integrates into his discussion the results
of recent studies, bringing into sharp focus topics of
current bee research. These include the exquisite
architecture of the nest and its relation to bee
physiology; the intricate division of labor and the
relevance of a temporal caste structure to efficient
functioning of the colony; and, finally, the life-death
struggles of swarming, supersedure, and mating that mark
the reproductive cycle of the honey bee. ''The Biology
of the Honey Bee'' not only reviews the basic aspects of
social behavior, ecology, anatomy, physiology, and
genetics, it also summarizes major controversies in
contemporary honey bee research, such as the importance
of kin recognition in the evolution of social behavior
and the role of the well-known dance language in honey
bee communication. Thorough, well-illustrated, and
lucidly written, this book will for many years be a
valuable resource for scholars, students, and beekeepers
alike. |
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