Bee Quest

Description

The Sunday Times bestselling author is back, this time on a quest to find the world's rarest bees. 'Warmly entertaining...an endearing account of the search for rare bees' Guardian A hunt for the world's most elusive bees leads Dave Goulson from Poland to Patagonia as well as closer to home, amongst the secret places hidden right under our noses- the abandoned industrial estates where great crested newts roam; or the rewilded estate at Knepp Castle, where, with the aid of some hairy, bluebell-eating Tamworth pigs, nightingale song has been heard for the first time in generations. Whether he is tracking great yellow bumblebees in the Hebrides or chasing orchid bees through the Ecuadorian jungle, Dave Goulson's wit, humour and deep love of nature make him the ideal travelling companion.

Dave Goulson is Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex. He has published more than 300 scientific articles on the ecology and conservation of bumblebees and other insects. His books include the Sunday Times bestsellers The Garden Jungle and A Sting in the Tale, which was also shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize and has been translated into fifteen languages. He is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, a trustee of Pesticide Action Network, and an Ambassador for the UK Wildlife Trusts.

You'll learn all sorts of interesting things without effort because he's a natural storyteller with a particular gift of understatement that is often laugh-out-loud funny - which you don't expect from a bee book... It's warmly personal, and stuffed full of the inescapable poetry and beauty of the natural world... Going on Bee Quest with him puts the natural world within our reach - to enjoy but also to protect... This is a truly positive and empowering read - you closed it better informed, filled with poetry, pies and ready to get out there and make a difference. -- Laline Paull * Observer * This is a quest that takes us from Patagonia to Poland, from Ecuador to Essex, fueled by Dave Goulson's extraordinary passion for the bumblebee... Goulson's search for some of the world's rarest bees has led him on a geographical and intellectual exploration that combines bizarre facts about bumblebees...with passionate ideas about conservation. -- Martha Kearney * The Times * Dave Goulson... has perfected the art of turning the entomologist's technical expertise into easy-reading everyman's prose. He also laces his stories with rich helpings of wit and humour. -- Mark Cocker * Spectator * In this delightful book [Goulson] tells us of the discoveries he has made during his 'bee travels'... a humorous, beautifully written tribute to these insects, and hope-filled examples of nature's resilience. * Outdoor Photography * Entomologist Dave Goulson journeyed as far as Patagonia to track down populations of the world's rarest bumblebees. The result is this fun serial travelogue and ode to diverse countryside... In a world skewed towards saving photogenic mammals, Goulson extols the intrinsic importance of insects, rather than their economic value. -- Barbara Kiser * Nature *