The quest for the perfect hive [electronic resource] : a history of innovation in bee culture / Gene Kritsky.

ISBN:

9780199742387

Title:

Author:

Kritsky, Gene.

Personal Author:

Kritsky, Gene.

Publication Information:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2010.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 198 pages) : illustrations

Contents:

Honey bees and the origin of beekeeping -- The forest beekeepers -- Skeps -- Bee niches -- Early box hives -- Beekeeping comes to America -- Glass jar beekeeping -- The Crystal Palace Exhibition : a beekeeping showcase -- Bars, frames, and the bee space -- Resistance to change -- Alfred Neighbour : British beekeeping ambassador -- Transition -- Bee houses -- Bee calendars -- Beekeeper's paraphernalia -- The end of innovation.

Local Note:

eBooks on EBSCOhost

Subject Term:

Bee culture -- History.

Beehives -- History.

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

Click here to view

Publication Date:

2010

Publication Information:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2010.

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
638.1 22	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ONLINE	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Beekeeping is a sixteen-billion-dollar-a-year business. But the invaluable honey bee now faces severe threats from diseases, mites, pesticides, and overwork, not to mention the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder, which causes seemingly healthy bees to abandon their hives en masse, never to return. In The Quest for the Perfect Hive, entomologist Gene Kritsky offers a concise, beautifully illustrated history of beekeeping, tracing the evolution of hive design from ancient Egypt to the present. Not simply a descriptive account, the book suggests that beekeeping's long history may in fact contain clues to help beekeepers fight the decline in honey bee numbers. Kritsky guides us through the progression from early mud-based horizontal hives to the ascent of the simple straw skep (the inverted basket which has been in use for over 1,500 years), from hive design's Golden Age in Victorian England up through the present. He discusses what worked, what did not, and what we have forgotten about past hives that might help counter the menace to beekeeping today. Indeed, while we have sequenced the honey bee genome and advanced our knowledge of the insects themselves, we still keep our bees in hives that have changed little during the past century. If beekeeping is to survive, Kritsky argues, we must start inventing again. We must find the perfect hive for our times. For thousands of years, the honey bee has been a vital part of human culture. The Quest for the Perfect Hive not only offers a colorful account of this long history, but also provides a guide for ensuring its continuation into the future.

Author Notes

Gene Kritsky is a Professor of Biology at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, and Adjunct Curator of Entomology at the Cincinnati Museum Center. He is Editor-in-chief of American Entomologist, the magazine of the Entomological Society of America.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

In this charming book, entomology professor Kritsky (who describes himself as "stung with the love of bees") incorporates material gathered over decades, from all over the world, to present a lively history of beekeeping. No one knows exactly how long humans have been keeping bees, but depictions appear in 5,000-year-old Egyptian paintings and sculpture, using a hive style that can still be found in Egypt today (horizontal mud cylinders stacked in walls). The first beekeepers of northern Europe tended wild hives, gradually domesticating bees with log hives. With the industrial and agricultural revolutions of the 19th century, bee hives were inevitably targeted for improvement, though the Victorian tendency to over-design didn't always result in practical structures; it was the late-19th century development of removable frame hives-the familiar "white box" style still in wide use-that led to major changes in beekeeping in the U.S. and Europe (though traditional methods still prevail in many countries). Kritsky's passion for his subject translates into gentle yet clear prose, abundant historical illustrations, and careful explanations of what bees need to thrive, and how humans figured it out; though of limited appeal, this is an ideal introduction to the craft of beekeeping. 147 b&w illus. (Feb.) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

Choice Review

Kritsky (College of Mount St. Joseph), honeybee specialist and well-respected entomologist, obviously has a passion for apicultural history, and has produced in this volume a wonderfully complete narrative of beehive development. Beginning with the origins of beekeeping, the author presents a brief introduction to basic bee biology and honeybees in mythology. The bulk of the text describes the great variety of structures beekeepers have invented to house colonies--the quest, as it were, for the perfect hive--including the basic pros and cons of each design. Comments from the inventors provide interesting insight into the evolution of hive design. Excellent vintage diagrams, drawings, and photographs add significantly to the text. Kritsky discusses the development of beekeeper tools late in the book, and addresses the relative lack of advancements during the 20th century in the final chapter, "The End of Innovation." Here he suggests that for the industry to survive, beekeepers need to once again become creative and inventive. This well-written book will be owned by most honeybee enthusiasts and libraries with significant natural history and entomological holdings. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic, general, and professional readers, all levels. P. K. Lago University of Mississippi