AUGUST 16, 2018 // 19
BOOKMONGER
The long history and imperiled future of bees
When my sister and I
were young, our father in-
culcated in us an easy sang-
froid toward bee handling.
It’s served me well. As a
schoolgirl, I became the
classroom hero more than
once when an occasional bee
blundered inside and buzzed
frantically against a window.
I knew how to cup it gently
— with my bare hands —
and release it outside.
And with the rare sting-
ing exception since then,
I’ve worked harmoniously
among bees in my garden
through many seasons.
So when I saw a new
book come out recently with
the title “Buzz: The Nature
and Necessity of Bees,” how
could I resist?
Written by Thor Han-
son, a conservation biolo-
gist based in the San Juan
Islands, this popular history
goes back 125 million years
to trace the evolution of bees
from their predatory waspish
roots into the more than
20,000 species of pollen-eat-
ing bees that exist today.
Hanson reviews research
that investigates the parallels
between the rise of bees and
flowering plants. He talks
with anthropologists who
are finding new evidence
that human interaction with
bees extends back into our
prehistory. And he tours
around the country to meet
with bee scientists, work at
“Buzz: The Nature and
Necessity of Bees”
By Thor Hanson
Basic Books
304 pp
$27
bee research sites and visit
projects that are restoring
and enhancing bee habitat.
Despite all the scientific
research, Hanson writes in
an accessible, chatty style.
And when he gets back
home, he studies bees in
his wife’s island garden and
down at the beach with the
help of his young son.
But make no mistake, this
is serious business. Modern
bees have been bedeviled by
a series of setbacks in recent
decades: first pesticides, then
colony collapse disorder and
now climate change.
Even as Hanson was writ-
COURTESY BASIC BOOKS
The cover of Thor Hanson’s
‘Buzz: The Nature and Ne-
cessity of Bees.’ At right, the
author.
ing this book, the first global
assessment of pollinator
populations was published
as a collaborative effort by
more than 80 bee experts
worldwide. Their findings
100% Natural
Blueberrie s
Free for everyone to attend. Bring a lawnchair!
20% off all original paintings
Watercolor Paintings
Fine Art Prints • Framing
Open Daily ‘til 6 pm
Workshops
Cranguyma Farms
2607 Bay Avenue, Ocean Park, WA • 360.665.5976
www.ericwiegardt.com
$2.00 lb.
113th & Sandridge
N. Long Beach, WA
inaction from any of us
at this point. “Common
sense suggests that reduc-
ing pressure from any of
these stressors (the four Ps)
will help” — for ordinary
citizens, that could mean
reducing pesticide use,
providing landscapes with
more bee nesting habitat and
growing more plants that
feed pollinators.
“Buzz” provokes thought
and promotes action. Let’s
create a little buzz of our
own for this book — and for
the bees!
The Bookmonger is Bar-
bara Lloyd McMichael, who
writes this weekly column
focusing on the books, au-
thors and publishers of the
Pacific Northwest. Contact
her at bkmonger@nwlink.
YOUR #1 PREMIER CANNABIS RETAILER
Live Demo August 18th • 2pm
U-Pic k
were sobering: “roughly 40
percent of species were con-
sidered to be in decline or
threatened with extinction.”
And some species —
including the Franklin’s
bee in southwestern Oregon
— already seem to have
disappeared entirely.
To varying degrees,
Hanson notes, bee species
are contending with “the
four Ps”: parasites, poor
nutrition, pesticides and
pathogens.
And given that anywhere
from 33 percent to 90 per-
cent (depending on which
study you look at) of food in
the human diet is dependent
on pollinators, the bees’
problem quickly becomes
our problem, too.
So Hanson travels from
alfalfa farms in eastern
Washington to almond
groves in California’s
Central Valley to learn about
the practices farmers are
adopting to keep their bee
populations healthy.
And as one bumble-
bee specialist emphasiz-
es, there’s no excuse for
Wiegardt Studio Gallery
LARGEST SELECTION
FRIENDLY & KNOWLEDGEABLE STAFF
ELITE PRODUCTS
Ilwaco
(8am - 10pm)
360-261-7200
133 Howerton Ave
Cathlamet - NEW!
Kelso
(8am - 10 pm)
(8am - 12am)
360-849-4504
360-636-0420
327 WA-4
820A West Side Hwy
Longview
(8am - 12am)
360-703-3229
971 14th Ave
WARNING: This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. There may be health risks
associated with the consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and over. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana can
impair concentration, coordination, and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug.