The Bee Book shows you step-by-step how to create a bee-friendly garden, get started in beekeeping, and harness the power of honey for well-being. Fully illustrated with full-color photographs throughout, this beautiful guide covers everything you need to know to start your own backyard hive, from setup to harvest. Practical beekeeping techniques are explained with clear step-by-step sequences, photos, and diagrams so you'll be prepared to establish your own colony, deal with diseases, collect a swarm, and much more. A comprehensive gardening chapter features planting plans to fill container and border gardens, bee "hotel" and habitat projects, and an at-a-glance flower gallery of bees' favorite plants. The Bee Book also shows you how to harvest honey, beeswax, and propolis from the hive and use these ingredients in 38 recipes for home remedies, beauty treatments, and candle-making. Discover the wonder of bees in nature, in your garden, and in the hive with The Bee Book , lavishly bound in a beautiful gold-foil and texture cover and perfect for gift giving. Gr 5 Up—Half science lesson and half "how to" manual for beekeeping, this enticing book will keep readers occupied for days, if not longer. The first half discusses bee evolution and what goes on in a hive. Information on honey, beeswax, and colony predators and a brief discussion of colony collapse disorder are followed by discussion of the "waggle dance" and several pages of bee houses and bee-friendly flower gardens. The second half is a guide to beekeeping, though it is still compelling for those without access to bee colonies. Along with general content is specific material on topics such as reportable pests and diseases and how to collect a swarm. The book concludes with about 30 projects and recipes, such as beeswax candles and honey lemon cough drops. The work is visually gorgeous, with a balanced layout of photos, illustrations, text, and sidebars. Tenderhearted readers may cringe to learn a drone's genitals are pulled from his body upon mating and that a beekeeper may need to "cull the queen" of a poorly performing colony. This book could broaden the focus for those who like reading about sharks, war, diseases, and things that are a little bit icky yet scientific. VERDICT Fascinating for many ages and a great addition to the science section of any middle or high school library.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX "This enticing book will keep readers occupied for days, if not longer." — School Library Journal (Starred Review) "This is a charming, information-rich book that should lead readers to appreciate bees and welcome them into their gardens and wild places and even encourage some to keep honeybees." — Booklist "Lots of great photos of go-to plants for bees." — The Toledo Blade "This succinct yet surprisingly comprehensive introduction will be attractive to researchers, and hopefully may inspire readers to consider beekeeping as a hobby." — School Library Connection "Budding entomologists, young environmentalists, and gardening enthusiasts alike are bound to discover fascinating facts and how-to project inspiration." — School Library Journal DK was founded in London in 1974 and is now the world's leading illustrated reference publisher and part of Penguin Random House, formed on July 1, 2013. DK publishes highly visual, photographic nonfiction for adults and children. DK produces content for consumers in over 87 countries and in 62 languages, with offices in Delhi, London, Melbourne, Munich, New York, and Toronto. DK's aim is to inform, enrich, and entertain readers of all ages, and everything DK publishes, whether print or digital, embodies the unique DK design approach. DK brings unrivalled clarity to a wide range of topics with a unique combination of words and pictures, put together to spectacular effect. We have a reputation for innovation in design for both print and digital products.   Our adult range spans travel, including the award-winning DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, history, science, nature, sport, gardening, cookery, and parenting. DK’s extensive children’s list showcases a fantastic store of information for children, toddlers, and babies. DK covers everything from animals and the human body, to homework help and craft activities, together with an impressive list of licensing titles, including the bestselling LEGO® books. DK acts as the parent company for Alpha Books, publisher of the Idiot's Guides series and Prima Games, video gaming publishers, as well as the award-winning travel publisher, Rough Guides. Emma Tennant was born in London in 1937. Educated at an Oxford finishing school and at the Louvre, her career began as a travel writer for Queen and editor for Vogue . Her first book published under her own name was The Time of the Crack in 1973, and from 1975 to 1979, she was the editor of the literary magazine Bananas . She wrote many more books, including numerous novels and a memoir, Gir