Dancing with Bees: A Journey Back to Nature THE SUNDAY TIMES BEST NATURE WRITING BOOKS 2020

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Brigit Strawbridge Howard ist eine begeisterte Bienenliebhaberin. Mit einem sehr authentischen Stil nimmt sie die Leser dieses Buches mit in ihren Alltag als Laienforscherin. Ähnlich einem Tagebuch beschreibt sie ihre Beobachtungen über die faszinierende Welt der Bienen, die verschiedenen Arten, ihr Aussehen, ihr Verhalten und auf welchen Pflanzen sie sich am liebsten aufhalten. Dies tut sie in ihrem ganz eigenen Stil fast kindlicher Begeisterung. Häufig werden Tiere und Pflanzen dabei auch etwas vermenschlicht. Aber auch die fortschreitende Umweltzerstörung, vor allem durch Bebauung, und die unsäglichen "Steingärten" machen es Bienen schwer zu überleben. Nicht nur, weil sie für Nahrung für sich und das Volk immer weiter fliegen müssen und immer weniger abbekommen, auch der Nestbau an sich wird dadurch erschwert. Ob es die riesige Bienenwabe ist, die niemand im Dach oder der Garage haben will, oder es die nicht vorhandenen Wiesen sind, in denen keine kleinen Bienennester an Grasstängeln hängen, die aus Tonschlamm gebastelt werden - denn schlammige Pfützen möchte man ja auch nicht haben. Und wo es keine passenden Böden mehr gibt, können Hummeln auch keine Erdnester mehr graben. Durch die Klimaerwärmung wachen zudem viele Hummeln und Bienen verfrüht aus ihrem Winterschlaf auf, finden zu wenig Nahrung und verhungern, oder gehen zu Grunde, weil dann eben doch nochmal ein paar kalte Tage kommen. As my interest in bees has grown, so has my awareness of everything that surrounds them or connects them to the web of life they exist within. I feel as though I have embarked on a never-ending journey, a journey that spirals continuously outwards, gathering momentum and taking on a life of its own as it sweeps up all the wondrous, wild things that fly, swim, walk, or crawl in its wake.” These important facts and observations do not in any way overshadow the love story that unfolds between Brigit and the bees she so carefully studies with such tenderness and affection, having rediscovered her connection with nature and having made a commitment to nurture this new awakening and help it to grow. It started with an awareness of bees and the discovery that there are at least twenty five thousand different species of bee. This staggering amount was a surprise to me as well, and even more surprisingly, within this figure, there are only 9 types of honey bee, around 250 bumblebees, 500 or so sting-less bees and a greater number of solitary bees.

Dancing with Bees is a passionate hymn to nature, a joyful celebration not just of bees, but of the power of paying attention. Strawbridge Howard’s rediscovery of the natural world is infused with a sense of wonder both irresistible and infectious. And the promise of this beautiful book is that if we take the trouble to notice our natural surroundings, we too can find a way to reconnect not just to nature, but to a deeper sense of ourselves.” —Caroline Lucas, MP, former Green Party Leader We are handed a lens – light, bright, beautiful things come into focus. Brigit's flare for observation and description, passion for knowledge, and ease with communication involve us in adventuring through the looking glass to explore with her the intimate life of wild bees. Gently, this timely book reminds us that nature is in trouble and that we must all join the dance."

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Ich fand das Buch ansprechend gestaltet. Vor allem das Cover hat mich angelächelt und auch die Illustrationen im Buch waren sehr schön. Ich war anfangs sehr begeistert, da ich viel Neues gelernt habe und das Buch auf jeden Fall zum Nachdenken anregt. Jedoch hat es sich für mich mit der Zeit sehr eintönig angefühlt und dadurch leider langweilig.

A beautiful book and one that hums with good life. Brigit Strawbridge Howard came late to bees but began noticing them at a time when their going was being widely announced. Her attention has been clear-sighted but also loving. By looking closely at the hummers and the buzzers, she has begun to take in the whole of what Charles Darwin called the 'tangled bank' of life, where there are bees (and Brigit's winning descriptions will help you know them) and there are plants, and there are other pollinators and nectar-seekers, including Homo sapiens. No other insect – surely no other animal – has had such a long and life-giving relationship with humans. Bees may well have shaped our evolution; our continued well-being is certainly dependent on them. Bees have long been part of our consciousness and art, buzzing in parables and fables and ancient and modern poems made out of their industry and their organisation and their marvellous sweet products. All that is in this book: It is ambrosia."it angers me, also, when people talk of 'biodiversity offsetting' as though somehow promising to plant an equal number of trees somewhere else makes it acceptable to destroy old woodlands and the ecosystems that have grown up around and within them." It is only when we realise that we are a part of nature, rather than apart from it, and behave accordingly that real change is likely to happen. Dancing with Bees is one of the most important and accessible and entertaining books I’ve ever read. Brigit has poured meticulous detail and research into her book, which has left me with even more respect for our precious bees than I ever thought possible. What’s more, it’s a touching, sensitive account of what makes us human and how we connect to the natural world. Everyone should read it.” —Kate Bradbury, author of Wildlife Gardening and The Bumblebee Flies Anyway

A joy-filled voyage of discovery through the wonderful world of bees.” —Dave Goulson, author of Bee Quest and A Sting in the Tale It also was extremely UK centred and I understand I'm probably not her target audience and UK residents probably are, the tips for looking after native bees were unusable for me and the climate my native bees live in.Dr. George McGavin, president, Dorset Wildlife Trust; honorary research associate, Oxford University Museum of Natural History Recent research, based on the observation of evening primroses, shows that these plants themselves respond to the sound of bees buzzing. Within just minutes of sensing the sound of a nearby bee, the concentration of sugar in the nectar produced by the plants increases by an average of 20 percent. Incredibly, the flowers even seem to be able to filter out irrelevant noises, such as the wind. I personally appreciate that Howard talks about her own rented home and how she has made pollinator friendly improvements to it. As a renter, so much of the advice for pollinator friendly gardens is outside my scope and I often feel demotivated instead of motivated by the time I finish the book. So I was very pleased and excited to hear how Howard has turned her small rented spaces into a pollinators paradise and I have now started to research how to turn our own little rented yard into a pollinator friendly environment.