This had some really interesting information about bees and beekeeping in it, but unfortunately I was turned off by the memoir portion (whereas usually I love memoir) as I just don’t like this guy. The audiobook narrator didn’t do him any favors as he was annoying, but the author seems to be surrounded by unlikeable characters where he is the hero of his story without empathy for anyone. There was a lot of misogyny throughout too which took an interesting turn at the end where he apparently marries his child’s young nanny (yikes) and she likes bees too which made him fall in love. I did appreciate his defense of the bees as all the info helped me a bit with my almost forty year fear of them. ( )

nonfiction - how-tos and wherefores of beekeeping, with plenty of anecdotes and bee puns (some of which are ok, and some of which are horrifically dad-joke groan-inducing), and including the latest info on the invasive and destructive Varroa mites. Frank is a skillful educator and provides lots of sound advice here, with the caveat that making mistakes (and getting stung, often repeatedly in the same sore spot) is how all beekeepers learn valuable lessons, even if they are very experienced.
If you, like many others, decide that beekeeping is not the right hobby for you, you'll still find lots of interesting content here.

I appreciated Frank's willingness to speak about his own failures and mistakes, but also think he could have been a little more professional about the way he talks about some of the other beekeeping novices--from the descriptions, it does sound like they deserve to be criticized for their behaviors, but I don't think it's necessary to also make fun of how they look. I think this is just part of Frank's storytelling style and I could overlook it, but it was still something I made a note of. ( )

I highly recommend this book! The “Bee People Book and the Bugs they Love by Frank Mortimer is a delightful, heartwarming, joyful, inspiring journey of discovery. You’ll fall in love with nature’s most fascinating six-legged creatures—Bees. Besides telling great stories about the quirky, mostly wonderful people who become beekeepers, readers have an opportunity to learn whether or not the world of beekeeping is right for them or not. This book is marvelous for many reasons but one of them is because it’s packed with “Bee Nerd Alerts” and amazing scientific facts about bees like:

*Bees can count to four.
*Bees have five eyes.
*Bees beat their wings up to 240 times/second and fly up to 20 mph.
*The unending battle between beekeepers and the Varroa Destructor—a deadly Darth Vader mite that endangers honeybees.
*Bees talk to each other by doing what’s called the waggle dance. The waggle dance communicates the direction, distance, and quality of a source of nectar to within 1 meter. That blows me away. Think about just how amazing that is. The very best GPS technology in the world is accurate to within ~4 meters.
*Consider some “Bee math”—just how hard do these extraordinary creatures work? A healthy hive of foraging bees will fly a distance equivalent to an astronaut’s journey from the Earth to the Moon—only they do it every single day!
*It takes 12 bees a lifetime of work to bring you 1 teaspoon of honey.

“Frank the Beeman’s” primary objective is sharing his passion and love of bee with others—to teach. This book is packed with practical how-to information too. He walks the reader through how to become a beekeeper: how to start, care for, avoid mistakes, harvest your honeybees and their golden treasure. He shares one delightful—and often ridiculous or hilarious story after another to teach readers or the curious about bees and beekeeping.

This book is a step-by-step demonstration of how a love for something can positively change an individual’s life. How that positive passion will then spill over; touching hundreds of people, families, communities, and the environment.

Whether your new to bees, an experienced beekeeper, an environmental advocate, or just looking for a very positive story, the pure magic of this book has something for everyone.

It has been my distinct pleasure to read an ARC copy of this book so that I could share my thoughts with others. Thank you. I marked up my copy with “wows” on amazing facts and have at least another dozen questions.

His generosity, big-hearted love and commitment bursts forth on every page of the book. Just like perfect golden honey, this book is very well written. Just like a bee it’s a fuzzy-warm, easy read with some zingers that will capture your heart, make you laugh, and fill you with joy and marvel. Master beekeeper Frank—“The Beeman’s” book “Bee People Book and the Bugs they Love” is a sweet golden treasure. Don’t miss out. Get it. Read it! ( )