Bee people and the bugs they love

Beekeeping has become popular worldwide, especially in urban areas. There, budding ecologists nurture the insects that pollinate crops and generate the liquid gold of honey. Mortimer installed some beehives in his suburban New Jersey backyard, and rapidly discovered an entire subculture of apiarists whom he finds more than simply idiosyncratic. There's the elderly beekeeper who drives a yellow and black Cadillac and removes bee swarms from trees and suburban house walls. There are the purists who think the smoke beekeepers use to calm bee colonies constitutes cruelty to animals but end up killing their charges. Mortimer learns how to maintain his bees and their hives by a lot of trial and error and by enduring a few stings. He also discovers that swarms of what passes for bee lore on the internet are simply false, and rectifies much misinformation. Joining a regional beekeeping club, he ends up president and expands the club's membership rolls. Mortimer's enthusiasm bursts forth on every page, and his storytelling skills make this a practical handbook for novice beekeepers and a delightful read even for those who can't imagine ever managing a buzzing hive. Photographs of the author's hiving efforts and a bibliography conclude the book.

Beekeeper Mortimer shares insights gleaned from years of pursuing his avocation in this illuminating debut memoir. He begins with his first hive, procured through a man known as "the Badger" at the local beekeeping club, and takes readers through his own trial by fire, in the hopes that aspiring beekeepers can avoid making the same mistakes. Mortimer lists the basic equipment needed to start, outlines the functions of a hive's different members (drones, workers, and the queen), and describes maintenance practices, such as using smoke to keep the hive calm. Some of the most charming passages involve Mortimer's friendships with other beekeepers, who are often as eccentric as they are kind and helpful. In addition to Badger, for instance, there's Rusty Spoonauer, aka "the one-eyed bee guy," a septuagenarian who advises the beekeeping club to "save your honey, 'cause when the governments fall and we're all living in anarchy," they can use their produce for barter (and use the remainder for mead, as "people always gonna need a stiff drink."). New or prospective beekeepers will find a useful how-to guide as well as an affectionate ode to nature's pollinators and honey makers, while any readers who have had their lives reshaped by a single overriding passion will enjoy learning how Mortimer found his. Agent: Barbara Collins Rosenberg, Rosenberg Group. (June)