The Case of the Vanishing Honeybees

September 15, 2013
Markle presents a solid, respectful overview of colony collapse disorder for an audience slightly younger than Loree Griffin Burns' The Hive Detectives (2010). The author opens her story in October 2006, with a beekeeper checking on his hive to discover that thousands of his workers have disappeared. From this compelling opening, she backtracks to discuss the importance of honeybees in pollination as well as bee basics. She then moves on to discuss possible causes of CCD: monoculture and suburban sprawl, overwork (a map provides graphic testimony to commercial bees' arduous schedules), mites, fungus and pesticides. Both natural and human defenses against CCD present some hope. Bees reproduce fast, and adjustments made to bees' schedules and feeding can help, as does breeding mite- and disease-resistant bees and the rise in hobbyist beekeeping. Markle never talks down to her audience, using specialized vocabulary--Nosema ceranae, varroa mite, neonicotinoid--and lucidly defining it in context as well as gathering it in a glossary. Big, full-color photographs are reproduced against honey-colored backgrounds. (Sharp-eyed readers will wonder why there is no mention of a mite clearly attached to a dead bee in a photograph captioned, "This bee didn't have any symptoms to show it was sick before it died.") Further facts as well as ways to help honeybees appear in the backmatter. In all, a solid addition to the insect shelves, with a valuable emphasis on science as process. (bibliography, index). (Nonfiction. 9-12)

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October 1, 2013
Grades 3-6 Similar in concept and format to Markle's The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs (2011), this attractive volume explores the world of honeybees and the mysterious malady that threatens them. After an opening in which a beekeeper discovers that most of the bees in his 400 hives are gone due to colony collapse disorder (CCD), the book describes how healthy honeybees pollinate flowering plants, gather nectar, and raise their young. The next section, which explains bee development, is particularly vivid and informative. Finally, Markle discusses the many possible causes of CCD, such as mites, fungi, pesticides, and the stressful conditions (overwork and poor diets) sometimes endured by bees in commercial hives. She also comments on the work of researchers exploring likely sources of the problem. Throughout the book, excellent color photos illustrate the text. Though Loree Griffin Burns' The Hive Detectives (2010) explores CCD in more detail, Markle's latest makes a good deal of information accessible to a somewhat younger audience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2014
Markle presents readers with an unsolved scientific mystery: the disappearance of worker honeybees--Colony Collapse Disorder--that has important consequences for the greater environment, including humans. The major hypotheses and the evidence supporting or refuting them are examined. Well-written explanations of bee behaviors and biology, and detailed photographs of bees and beekeepers in action, are wrapped into the greater narrative. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from September 1, 2013

Gr 4-8-The worker bee and its vital role in the life cycle of the honeybee are interwoven with the threat that Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) poses to bees, plants, and humans in straightforward language on honey-colored paper, illustrated with full-color photographs on every page. Commercial colonies of bees are trucked around the country to pollinate almonds, blueberries, apples, citrus fruit, and pumpkins in a yearly cycle that does not include the winter rest that wild bees take. But because these honeybees can mix with wild populations, the threat of CCD is not confined to commercial bee colonies. The work of scientists examining such possible causes as virus, fungus, mites, and pesticides and possible remedies is described. The glossary and index provide good definitions of terms relating to both honeybees and CCD. The author has included a half page of interesting factoids about honeybees as well as suggestions for how to help them locally and organizations involved in "Global Rescue Efforts." An excellent first purchase for reports as well as for general interest.-Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library, VA

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