Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees

《種子的勝利》作者索爾．漢森新作，獲BBC Radio 4 2018年7月當周選書蜂就像氧氣：無所不在，不可或缺，而且大部分的時候，牠們沒有被看見。雖然我們忽略了蜂，牠們卻處在人類與自然關係中的核心。寫過《種子的勝利》和《羽的奇蹟》的獲獎作家索爾．漢森，帶領讀者開啟一段從一億2千5百萬年前就開始的旅程：當一隻胡蜂首次勇敢地將花粉餵食給年輕一代的時候。從蜜蜂與熊蜂到較不為人知的掘蜂、切葉蜂與泥壺蜂，不管是豐收、神話或是人類的存在，蜂都與我們息息相關。人類利用蜂蜜做甜食，也用蜂蠟做上等的蠟燭，牠們帶給我們甜蜜與光亮；透過蜂的授粉，我們才看得見花之美；甚至人類食物的三分之一都來自蜂的幫助。但我們要特別警醒的是，蜂正在消失中。本書不僅帶來大量關於蜂的知識，也像蜜蜂飛舞般迷人，它告訴我們，為何蜂是我們該禮讚與保護的奇蹟。BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK JULY 2018Bees are like oxygen: ubiquitous, essential, and, for the most part, unseen. While we might overlook them, they lie at the heart of relationships that bind the human and natural worlds. In Buzz, the award-winning author of Feathers and The Triumph of Seeds takes us on a journey that begins 125 million years ago, when a wasp first dared to feed pollen to its young.From honeybees and bumbles to lesser-known diggers, miners, leafcutters, and masons, bees have long been central to our harvests, our mythologies, and our very existence. They’ve given us sweetness and light, the beauty of flowers, and as much as a third of the foodstuffs we eat. And, alarmingly, they are at risk of disappearing.As informative and enchanting as the waggle dance of a honeybee, Buzz shows us why all bees are wonders to celebrate and protect. Read this book and you'll never overlook them again.