"Consider the bee. Equipped with a brain the size of a grass seed, a typical honeybee worker nevertheless lives collaboratively with thousands of her sisters in a complex society. Through a life span that seldom exceeds five weeks, she serves successively as brood nurse, wax producer, comb builder, honey maker, home guard, and floral forager." "This book considers the diversity and biology of bees, including their peculiar sociosexual arrangements, their quirky relationships with flowers, and their startling mental abilities: what are we to make of insects that communicate through symbolic dances?" "Enriched with cultural sidebars and complemented by works of art, nature photography, and historical illustrations, Bees is a fitting sequel to Candace Savage's acclaimed Crows: Encounters with the Wise Guys of the Avian World."--Jacket.
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