The Pollen Loads of the Honeybee by Dorothy Hodges, an artist and experienced beekeeper, was first published 1952. It included drawings of pollen grains which will never be surpassed. The originals are preserved at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. This booklet, published by IBRA, reproduces these drawings. Dorothy Hodges was a trained artist with an artist's acute powers of observation as well as being a beekeeper. In 1946 she had the idea of making a colour chart of pollen loads. It took several years for her ideas to gestate but the glorious outcome was the publication, by the then Bee Research Association, of The Pollen Loads of the Honeybee in 1952. Designed as a very practical guide for beekeepers, the importance of the book was immense and it has long since risen from being a humble textbook and guide to a much sought after collectors' item. Its rarity and importance mean that it is no longer easily obtainable and so difficult for the ordinary beekeeper to appreciate its contents. For this very reason IBRA has decided to reproduce Mrs Hodges's delicate drawings of pollen grains as a separate publication and in so doing hopefully make her work known to other generations of beekeepers. Although the painstakingly produced colour charts of the original book still have their value it would.not be possible to reproduce them with sufficient accuracy to do justice to the original work. However, the drawings lend them-selves to reasonable reproduction. They are of outstanding artistic merit and offer the possibility of identifying the pollen forms which are most frequently collected by bees. For beginners these drawings will do good service as an introduction to the pollen analysis of honey. The drawings need no explanation other than a name - the family group, the Latin scientific name and the common English name - thus making the book independent of language barriers. This means it can be appreciated in many countries where the original work was unknown or is now out of reach because of rarity and cost. The cover is taken from Dorothy Hodges own watercolour painting that she suggested might adorn the dust jacket of the original publication. The artwork was not used and so this booklet allows it to be seen publicly for the first time in almost sixty years. Finally, for the convenience of the reader, the actual pollen drawings retain the same page, numbers as the plates in the original book. Richard Jones Former Director, IBRA October 2009

Here is the ideal introduction for preschoolers and early elementary children to insects that are not only amazing but also critically important to humans. Inside the hive views of a wild colony of honey bees offer close ups of the queen, the cells, even bee eggs. Simple verse will engage a young child, while sidebars with fascinating information satisfy the somewhat older child. Parents, teachers, and kids will love this picture book. The detailed art shimmers with life, highlighting each hair or grain of pollen on the bees. A wild hive in a tree in her own backyard served as a model for the artist! Backmatter includes: further information about wild and domestic hives. information on how to learn more about honey bees.

Pollen studies make important contributions nature, into three main themes: pollen struc to our knowledge in many interdisciplinary ture and constituents, pollen evolutionary arenas. Pollen identification is widely used in ecology and the pollen-pollinator interface. reconstruction of, e.g., vegetation, the climate Several papers overlap somewhat or are of the past, and plant biodiversity. Studies perhaps even somewhat contradictory and concerning pollen structure, size and form are reflect the author's own ideas and experience. key issues in basic sciences, as, e.g., plant Some could be understood more deeply by taxonomy and evolution, but are also of consulting other closely related articles. The importance in applied fields as, e.g., plant reader is strongly referred to the respective breeding. In pollination studies pollen is literature list of each article. generally used specifically to identify food ofanther ripening and pollen The last steps development (Pacini) and the mature pollen sources of visitors and to reconstruct their foraging routes. Fewer have been devoted to wall structure (Hesse) are key factors to pollen collection mechanisms and to the struc understand pollen dispersal mechanisms in ture and content of pollen in relation to its biotic pollination (Stroo) as well as abiotic pollination (Ackerman). Pollen size, shape, function.

Seeley, a world authority on honey bees, sheds light on why wild honey bees are still thriving while those living in managed colonies are in crisis. Drawing on the latest science as well as insights from his own pioneering fieldwork, he describes in extraordinary detail how honey bees live in nature and shows how this differs significantly from their lives under the management of beekeepers. Seeley presents an entirely new approach to beekeeping--Darwinian Beekeeping--which enables honey bees to use the toolkit of survival skills their species has acquired over the past thirty million years, and to evolve solutions to the new challenges they face today. He shows beekeepers how to use the principles of natural selection to guide their practices, and he offers a new vision of how beekeeping can better align with the natural habits of honey bees.

“One of the most informative picture books about honey bees, this is surely among the most beautiful as well.” —Booklist (starred review) A tiny honey bee emerges from the hive for the first time. Using sunlight, landmarks, and scents to remember the path, she goes in search of pollen and nectar to share with the thousands of other bees in her hive. She uses her powerful sense of smell to locate the flowers that sustain her, avoids birds that might eat her, and returns home to share her finds with her many sisters. Nature lovers and scientists-to-be are invited to explore the fascinating life of a honey bee. Back matter includes information about protecting bees and an index.