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During the history of bee research, scientists have peered deep into the inner life of bee colonies and learned much about the behaviour of these insects. Above all, the bee waggle dance has become a famous and extensively discussed phenomenon. Nevertheless, recent insights reveal that while bees are social insects inside the hive they also communicate with one another outside the hive. In this book, Jürgen Tautz, a renowned German bee researcher, provides an entertaining, fresh and enlightening account for lay and professional readers, not only about the fascinating dance language but also about additional remarkable phenomena concerning information exchange between bees.
Prof. Dr Jürgen Tautz, is a bee expert, sociobiologist, animal behaviourist and emeritus professor at the Biozentrum, University of Würzburg. He is a world-leading scientist with a remarkable number of high-class publications and a gifted communicator of science. His writing and popular lectures have twice been honoured by the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) who included him among the best scientists in Europe in communicating science to the public. As a gifted communicator and leading scientist, Juergen Tautz has much in common with Carl Sagan, Richard P Feynman, Konrad Lorenz, Vince Dethier and others famous for their work in popularizing science and making it accessible to all.
"This is quite simply a masterclass of a book. It deals with the whole history of research on communication in honey bees from the earliest observations of Aristotle to the present day and is both authoritative and accessible. [...] I recommend this book to anyone who keeps bees, watches bees or is just fascinated by insects in general."
– George C. McGavin, BeeCraft, December 2022
"I believe that this book is an essential read for anybody who is interested in honeybees, but it is also of great interest to a more general readership who may wish to understand more about the amazing world of social insects."
– Mary Montaut, The Beekeepers Quarterly, Vol. 150, December 2022
"In this book renowned German bee researcher Jürgen Tautz provides an entertaining, fresh and enlightening account for both lay and professional readers, not only about the fascinating dance language but also about additional remarkable phenomena concerning information exchange between bees."
– Farming Scotland Magazine, December 2022
"The book is richly illustrated. [...] I really enjoyed reading this book, and thanks to the many references to research over time on the topic, including research done by for example Thomas Seeley, it deepened and broadened my understanding of how bees communicates with each other."
– Paul Lindström, The Apiarist, October 2022
"The book concludes with an excellent glossary and a magnificently comprehensive list of further references. [...] a text comes along that stands out from all others, written by a dedicated researcher possessed of the talent required to convey complex science to a wide audience. I take my hat off to Jürgen Tautz who has accomplished just that, and the world of bee research is all the better for it."
– David M. Gascoigne, travelswithbirds.blogspot.com, August 29, 2022
