Beepedia: A Brief Compendium of Bee Curiosities

An enchanting, fact-filled treasury for the bee lover in all of us

Beepedia is a one-of-a-kind celebration of bees, from A to Z. Featuring dozens of alphabetical entries on topics ranging from pollination and beekeeping to the peculiar lifestyles of cuckoo bees and carrion-eating vulture bees, this enticing, pocket-sized compendium takes you on an unforgettable journey into the remarkable world of bees.

Explore the many wonders of bee morphology, behavior, and ecology, and learn about the role of bees in agriculture, art, literature, and religion. With more than 20,000 described species, bees can be found anywhere on the planet where flowering plants are pollinated by insects. With Laurence Packer as your guide, you will meet some of the most inquisitive and prolific bee experts who ever lived and marvel at the astonishing variety of wild bees and the creative methods scientists use to study them. Discover why bees have intrigued us for millennia, why Napoleon Bonaparte chose the bee as his emblem when he became emperor, where the expression “the bee’s knees” comes from, and much more.

With captivating drawings by Ann Sanderson, Beepedia is an informative and entertaining blend of fact, folklore, and fancy that will captivate anyone who has ever been curious about these amazing insects.

• Features a cloth cover with an elaborate foil-stamped design

Laurence Packer is a leading expert on wild bees and the author of Bees of the World: A Guide to Every Family (Princeton) and Keeping the Bees: Why All Bees Are at Risk and What We Can Do to Save Them. He is Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of Melittology at York University in Toronto. Ann Sanderson is a science illustrator whose books include A Garden for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee.