Following the Bloom - Hardcover

Whynott, Douglas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0811719448 ISBN 13: 9780811719445

Publisher: Stackpole Books, 1991

Synopsis

Twelve months on the road with America's last cowboys: the migratory beekeepers.

In this absorbing work of literary journalism, Douglas Whynott introduces us to the world of migratory beekeeping, a world composed of clandestine state-border crossings, dodgy rigs, and unforgettable characters.

An updated edition of Whynott's classic account of his twelve months spent chasing the nectar flow with a few good men and women-and millions of honeybees-Following the Bloom tells the story of America's "last real cowboys." Overcoming catastrophic mechanical breakdowns, escaped bees that wreak havoc in suburban neighborhoods, and unfriendly state bee inspectors who threaten to burn entire bee colonies, these beekeepers truck hundreds of thousands of hives from state to state. From the cranberry bogs of Cape Cod and the blueberry fields of Maine to the clover fields of North Dakota and the orange groves of Florida, beekeeper and bee alike pursue the bloom.

Seamlessly combining the remarkable physics of the beehive, the political realities of commercial beekeeping, and the compelling adventures of America's migratory beekeepers, Following the Bloom pays homage to the hive, the honey, and the beekeeping cowboy.

About this title

About the Author

Douglas Whynott is director of the MFA program at Emerson College.

From Publishers Weekly

Whynott (Giant Bluefin) has been enamored with bees since he was a boy and his uncle kept a hive near an apple tree; later his passion led him to become a bee inspector in Massachusetts. From these experiences, and from research conducted by following his contacts—the migratory beekeepers—he has gathered a wealth of information on the fascinating habits of bees, the history of bee farming and the current state of beekeeping legislation. Whynott begins by explaining the discoveries, like ‘bee space,’ that allowed for the development of migratory farming, which allows beekeepers to move apiaries from location to location in search of "bloom." Whynott then travels to the blueberry barrens in Maine to Florida, to North Dakota clover country and finally to Washington, D.C., where Glenn Gibson, a honey lobbyist, tries to gain federal support for the migratory beekeepers who comprise the lion’s share of the honey market. With a relaxed, storyteller’s pacing, Whynott gets to know the migratory beekeepers, and much of the book’s pleasure lies in the colloquial dialogue about "plugged out" frames of honey and "bearded" hives. More than a book about bees per se, this volume presents a sociological narrative about truckers’ lives, and the (mostly) men who seem to fall by chance into beekeeping. This reprint of the 1991 edition includes a helpful glossary that explains bee terminology.
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About this edition

• Publisher: Stackpole Books
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0811719448
• ISBN 13: 9780811719445
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 214