The Buzz About Bees

Did you catch Tony Lulek's library program about bees on Sunday? If not, you can still learn more about those amazing, social insects from two fascinating books.

For the younger set, The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe by Loree Griffin Burns, describes the mystery of the vanishing honeybees, which began in the winter of 2006 when beekeeper Dave Hackenberg inspected 400 of his 3000 hives in Florida and discovered that 20 million bees had simply disappeared.  We will discuss The Hive Detectives at The Reading Club, a book group for children in 4th and 5th grade on Monday evening, October 17 at 7:00 p.m. Are you the parent of a 4th or 5th grader? Read the book with your child and drop in to join our discussion!  Light refreshments will be served.

For adults, The Beekeeper's Lament, by Hannah Nordhaus, describes the ins and outs of beekeeping, disorders of bees and what the life of a beekeeper is really like.  It will make you appreciate honey so much more.  Honey is is a great sweetener in cooking.  You have to be careful when using honey, as the sweetening power is higher than sugar.  Approximately two-thirds of a teaspoon of honey equals one heaping teaspoon of sugar.  Honey also attracts moisture, so baking with honey will make your baked goods more moist. For more information about all things honey, check out the
American Honey Producers Association.

Janice Coduri, Library Director