The most misunderstood force driving health and disease The story of the invention and use of electricity has often been told before, but never from an environmental point of view. The assumption of safety, and the conviction that electricity has nothing to do with life, are by now so entrenched in the human psyche that new research, and testimony by those who are being injured, are not enough to change the course that society has set. Two increasingly isolated worlds--that inhabited by the majority, who embrace new electrical technology without question, and that inhabited by a growing minority, who are fighting for survival in an electrically polluted environment--no longer even speak the same language. In The Invisible Rainbow, Arthur Firstenberg bridges the two worlds. In a story that is rigorously scientific yet easy to read, he provides a surprising answer to the question, "How can electricity be suddenly harmful today when it was safe for centuries?"

Bee Genetics and Breeding provides an overview of the state of knowledge in bee genetics and breeding. The book is organized into two parts. Part I deals with the scholarly issues of bee genetics. It is intended as a reference source for students of both bees and genetics. It could also serve as a text for university courses in bee genetics. Topics discussed include the evolution of eusocial insects; geographical variability and classification of honey bees; and behavioral and biochemical genetics of honey bees. Part II deals more specifically with the practical issues of bee breeding. The discussions include the quantitative genetics of honey bees; ways to define and measure honey-bee characteristics so that the "best" parents for honey-bee stock improvement programs can be selected; and mating designs. This section contains sufficient guidance for bee breeders to initiate or improve breeding programs. Apiculturalists generally will find this part especially interesting since the quality of their own bee stock depends on the skills and knowledge of the breeders who produce their queens.

Phil Lester's first book, The Vulgar Wasp, was about one of the world's most hated insects. His second is about just the opposite &– the honey bee, arguably one of our best-loved six-legged creatures. People have revered honey bees for centuries. Today we celebrate them with toys, postage stamps and campaigns to raise awareness; we dress up in large bee suits to protest the use of pesticides; we've even sent bees into space and watched as they adjusted to microgravity.Bees are one of the world's most efficient pollinators. Their work is vital to the success of many food crops, and hence to the world's economy. So we need to take seriously any threats to their health &– including parasites, pathogens, predators and pesticides &– and, guided by evidence at every turn, find a way to minimise harm and keep bees thriving. As Healthy Bee, Sick Bee shows, this is no small task.In this book, entomologist Phil Lester explores the wonderfully complex and sometimes brutally efficient life history of honey bees, and the problems they face in New Zealand and around the globe. What causes a beehive to collapse? Are pesticides as big a problem as they appear? What can we do to improve the health