---
product_id: 109298876
title: "The Lives of Bees: The Untold Story of the Honey Bee in the Wild"
price: "R755"
currency: ZAR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/109298876-the-lives-of-bees-the-untold-story-of-the-honey
store_origin: ZA
region: South Africa
---

# The Lives of Bees: The Untold Story of the Honey Bee in the Wild

**Price:** R755
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** The Lives of Bees: The Untold Story of the Honey Bee in the Wild
- **How much does it cost?** R755 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
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## Description

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Review: If you've wondered how bees get things done - As a new beekeeper, I found this book useful. It helped me to understand how the hive works, how the work is divided, and how the colony makes decisions. Because I had read this book, I knew what was happening when scout bees were investigating one of my swarm traps (bait hive), and when the swarm finally landed. I knew that my trap was just one of the candidates the swarm was considering. Another of my traps had scout bees investigating for several days, and then they left. My location was not chosen. I knew I needed to make that bait hive more attractive if I wanted it to catch a swarm. The book also gives a good understanding of how bees reproduce. Some new beekeepers will lament the presence of drone brood (developing male bees) because they think drones just drain resources and don't produce anything for the hive. Some will destroy the drones they find. These same people might then turn around and want to buy a mated queen for a colony that just lost a queen. Those "worthless" drones are not just valuable, they are critical to the reproductive process. They fly around in search of unmated queens. I had one colony that chose to replace their queen. I was glad when I finally saw evidence that a new queen was laying eggs in the hive. A drone from another hive made that possible, and I was thankful. It's a great book. It answers so many questions for a new beekeeper, or even for someone who just wants to know how bees do what bees do. I highly recommend it.
Review: Very Informative, easy-to-read, great quality - The book itself is of excellent quality. The feel of the cover and the paper, the sheen, the type - all of it is excellent. The writing and information inside are GOLD. Wonderful author who presents an immense amount of research and information very clearly and directly. As a lay person/new beekeeper I found it really digestible. All practical information in anyone interested in keeping bees while still contributing to and preserving the vitality and genes of wild bee populations responsibly. I will keep this book as a reference and guide book. Especially useful to anyone not only curious about bees, but wanting to keep bees as naturally as possible.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #104,174 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #6 in Entomology (Books) #10 in Biology of Insects & Spiders |
| Customer Reviews | 4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars (477) |
| Dimensions  | 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches |
| Edition  | Illustrated |
| ISBN-10  | 0691166765 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0691166766 |
| Item Weight  | 2.35 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 376 pages |
| Publication date  | May 28, 2019 |
| Publisher  | Princeton University Press |

## Images

![The Lives of Bees: The Untold Story of the Honey Bee in the Wild - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61kLflp3NVL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you've wondered how bees get things done
*by R***N on December 7, 2021*

As a new beekeeper, I found this book useful. It helped me to understand how the hive works, how the work is divided, and how the colony makes decisions. Because I had read this book, I knew what was happening when scout bees were investigating one of my swarm traps (bait hive), and when the swarm finally landed. I knew that my trap was just one of the candidates the swarm was considering. Another of my traps had scout bees investigating for several days, and then they left. My location was not chosen. I knew I needed to make that bait hive more attractive if I wanted it to catch a swarm. The book also gives a good understanding of how bees reproduce. Some new beekeepers will lament the presence of drone brood (developing male bees) because they think drones just drain resources and don't produce anything for the hive. Some will destroy the drones they find. These same people might then turn around and want to buy a mated queen for a colony that just lost a queen. Those "worthless" drones are not just valuable, they are critical to the reproductive process. They fly around in search of unmated queens. I had one colony that chose to replace their queen. I was glad when I finally saw evidence that a new queen was laying eggs in the hive. A drone from another hive made that possible, and I was thankful. It's a great book. It answers so many questions for a new beekeeper, or even for someone who just wants to know how bees do what bees do. I highly recommend it.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Informative, easy-to-read, great quality
*by N***E on February 12, 2023*

The book itself is of excellent quality. The feel of the cover and the paper, the sheen, the type - all of it is excellent. The writing and information inside are GOLD. Wonderful author who presents an immense amount of research and information very clearly and directly. As a lay person/new beekeeper I found it really digestible. All practical information in anyone interested in keeping bees while still contributing to and preserving the vitality and genes of wild bee populations responsibly. I will keep this book as a reference and guide book. Especially useful to anyone not only curious about bees, but wanting to keep bees as naturally as possible.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great book
*by G***Y on December 21, 2023*

Well written and in-depth book. Highly recommended if you’re interested in bees and not specifically interested in types of hives etc.

## Frequently Bought Together

- The Lives of Bees: The Untold Story of the Honey Bee in the Wild
- Honeybee Democracy
- Following the Wild Bees: The Craft and Science of Bee Hunting

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*Product available on Desertcart South Africa*
*Store origin: ZA*
*Last updated: 2026-03-15*