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Nature Insects & Spiders

Keeping The Bees

Why All Bees Are at Risk and What We Can Do to Save Them

by (author) Laurence Packer

Publisher
HarperCollins Canada
Initial publish date
Sep 2010
Category
Insects & Spiders
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781443400398
    Publish Date
    Sep 2010
    List Price
    $11.99

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Description

A world without bees would be much less colourful, with fewer plants and flowers. But that's not all -- food would be in much shorter supply, and available in much less variety. While the media focuses on colony-collapse disorder and the threats to honey bees specifically, the real danger is much greater: all bees are at risk. And because of the integral role these insects play in the ecology of our planet, we may be at risk as well.

The life of Laurence Packer, a melittologist at Toronto's York University, revolves around bees, whether he's searching for them under leaves in a South American jungle or identifying new species in the desert heat of Arizona. Packer often finds himself in exotic and even dangerous locales, risking snake bites, sunstroke, and even the ire of other scientists. Everywhere he travels, he discovers the same unsettling trend: bees are disappearing. And since bees are responsible for up to one-third of our food supply, the consequences are frightening.

About the author

Laurence Packer obtained a B.A. in zoology from the University of Oxford and a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. He has been at York University since 1988, where he is currently a professor of biology.

Laurence Packer's profile page