Beautiful photos and interesting information about bees around the world are included in this fascinating read. The author features extreme close-up photography of bees, a glimpse into the world where most of us have not had the opportunity to explore. Chapters include social bees, solitary bees, bee anatomy, in the hive, and bees and flowers. Essential to the pollination of flowers and crops, these unique insects are often feared and avoided. Jackson brings out the positives of these beneficial pollinators to humans whom calls he calls the "heroes of the garden". This book is a must read and appropriate to anyone interested in nature, insects and food production.

My sincere thank you to Amber Books Ltd. and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bees: Heroes of the Garden by Tom Jackson is a delightful guide to one of the most neglected insects within our ecological system; they play a vital role in keeping the balance between other species and their environment. In the case of bees and humans, these little insects are largely responsible for regulating our food supply. However, they are not only extremely important for humans, but also for entire ecosystems to function. Quite apart from the fact that pollination is important for food production, bees contribute greatly to the countryside, to gardens and general enrichment of landscapes. Bees are therefore beneficial to the environment generally. 

They pollinate wildflowers as well as shrubs, thus enhancing and ensuring plant biodiversity and beauty in landscapes and gardens. And nowhere is the beauty of these tiny workers more apparent than in this book. The 224 pages are divided into chapters: Social Bees; Solitary Bees; Bee Anatomy; In the Hive; and Bees and Flowers, and although the book puts the stunning, detailed, full-colour photographs front and centre, there is still fascinating information to learn throughout the pages. Each chapter is introduced by some general information on the type of bee followed by wonderful images with every picture being captioned by the name of the subspecies and a little bit about that particular type, including where they can generally be found and the plants and flowers that they are most attracted to.

Bees explores the life cycle of mankind's favourite insect in all its glorious, colourful variety. It examines their busy social lives and those who are solitary and who live alone rather than in a nest or hive with others and features a wide variety of bees from all around the world, including bumblebees, leaf-cutter bees, mason bees, carpenter bees, killer bees, stingless bees, orchid bees and cuckoo bees, to name a few. Over 190 photographs offer an up-close, pictorial celebration of these complex insects in their natural habitat. Highly recommended.

Yes - get it!

WOW - just wow! My boyfriend has a couple boxes of bees and as a former Master Gardener, I more then understand their role in our world. But even I learned a great deal from this book.

First, I would ignore the publishers comment about 150 outstanding photos - they are being very, VERY modest. Even on my little cellphone, the pictures were absolutely extraordinary. I can't imagine what they are in a 9 x 12 book.

The detail on the photos helped enforce what I already knew about bees but could never really understand because it's hard to visualize the concept. So no need to discuss that further because those pictures are worth 1000's of words!

The beauty of flowers and the engineering miracle that are bees were so wonderful to view - just a incredible review of nature's handiwork.

Great resource for schools & libraries!!

I received an ARC from Netgalley and Amber Books LTD to prepare for my honest review.

A page of information for the different sections, then the rest is about 2oo images. Great to get the visual if only had read books that are more text-driven.

We all know bees are useful, right? But did you also know how completely fascinating they are? Bet you didn't! Get your hands on a copy of this book and you'll bee (sorry!) amazed at these little critters so many of us take for granted. The photos are stunning, giving us a close-up look that's otherwise out of reach for most of us. The information included with each photo is perfectly balanced and you'll have plenty of eyes-wide moments while reading.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

This book is stunning and excellent for all the family. The photography is amazing full of beautiful close up pictures taking us through the live and death and struggles of various species of bee. I never knew there were so many species my favourite has to be the bumblebee. Bees are so important to our environment so this book is a must read. The more we read about our environment, the better understanding we have on how to make it sustainable. While reading this book for reviewing, not only did I learn new facts about bees from all over the world my 9 year old daughter was reading it over my shoulder and loved it. She said wow its amazing she won't bee scared of them no more.

This is a beautifully done book about bees! From the cover to the details about bees to almost 200 high quality photographs, everything about this book was done professional and the result is an awesome book for anyone interested in learning about bees. This is a European book though so the species aren't all the same, however, the overall information about bees is relevant to understanding bees in general, I really enjoyed the macro photography...such details that you can never see with the naked eye. Fact-filled but balanced with plenty of photos, I recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amber Books for an opportunity to read Bees by Tom Jackson

Another great photo book by Mr Jackson , with lost of up close and personal photographs f these amazing creatures ..
And can I just say, I love this cover !

BEES! Everything you've ever wanted to know about these wonderful, industrious insects who make us honey and make having amazing gardens possible. If you've ever wanted to learn about bees, or just look at some kick-ass macro photography of bugs (how did the photographers get those pictures? HOW?! Bees are constantly in motion! What kind of cameras did they use? What kind of lenses?! I MUST KNOW) then you'll definitely want to check this out. Aside from being insanely informative, it features some truly gorgeous photos of bees in their natural habitat.

I love bees and enjoy sitting on my porch watching them visit my bee friendly plants. This is a beautiful photo book with loads of pictures and narrative information on bees. The photos are the stars with close ups of bees with pollen and other fluff dusting them. My favorites are bees up close with colorful flowers. This book covers wide varieties of bees from different countries. I didn’t realize some are stingless and others bite only. I also enjoyed learning about their colonies and hives. I’m more familiar with the box hives used in my part of the world but there are other types too. This is a perfect gift for lovers of bees, gardeners, and even your favorite bee keeper. It is decorative and could grace a coffee table or book shelf. Thank you to NetGalley and Amber Books for a temporary ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

It's no secret to anyone who knows me well that I adore bees. Seriously — it's been my boyfriend's nickname for me for several years now; I've got necklaces both silver and gold; I've got brooches and mugs and pillows and even a bee-print dress; I can often be found cooing over them and photographing them in the warmer months. (How I haven't been stung yet by a bumblebee not keen on her own modelling session is beyond me!) Requesting Tom Jackson's Bees: Heroes of the Garden for review was, therefore, a no-brainer, and if bees are wonderful little creatures, this is a wonderful coffee table book. While it doesn't contain pages upon pages of facts, just a quick rundown of information and interesting tidbits, it positively overflows with gorgeous full-colour photographs that both astound the viewer and provide a unique insight into the busy world of bees.

Not only did I learn several new things (there are both social and solitary bees! a certain species of bee has a unique technique to kill intruders! and more!), I thoroughly enjoyed flicking through the pages. I'm very tempted to buy a copy of my own and for my nature-loving friends!

Bees is a beautifully illustrated and knowledgeable book, allowing a reader to dive into the diverse world of bees. The book is easy to follow and each category flows well. The images are large enough to fully appreciate the bees, but also small enough to be able to skim past them when looking for a particular area of text or species of bee. The book over all taught me a great deal about bees, and allowed me to appreciate those species not native to my home country that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to discover.

My only issues with this book was not all the photographs state the species of bee within it. As someone who is interested in insect identification, it would have been nice to have that bit of information added to the book. Additionally, I read this book digitally, this book did not flow well upon the devices I tried it on. Many of the pages are double-page spreads and it was incredibly difficult at times of imagine the photographs in there full form when they are divided into two sections on top of each other.

Over all I loved this book and found it highly informative, I would recommend it to anyone interested in insects, beekeeping or the natural world.

Perfect book if you are interested in bees. Interesting information about social groups etc.

Lots of high quality images which give an up close insight into bees. Beautiful images.

Close-up photography just doesn't get better than this. The details such as the wings, stinger, tongue, swarms and pollen are just sublime! One of my favourite photos in this book is of worker bees lapping up water. My brother is a beekeeper so it is fantastic to learn more about these fascinating creatures, creatures we cannot survive without. When you think about how many bees are needed to produce one kg of honey, it's mind blowing as each bee produces about 5 g during their life cycle. This book contains loads of breathtaking photographs with informative captions.

How lovely to see that the Carniolan bees, including the gorgeous bee hives of Slovenia, are discussed. The amazing hives are definitely worth seeking on travels to the Balkans. The roles of various bees (workers, queen) are explained. I did not know that the Cyprus honeybees use a particular technique to kill invaders. I learned which bees are the largest and smallest, how the plasterer bees got their name, bee anatomy (what setae are comprised of, distinguishing features of males and females such as segments in antennae and what ommatidia are), the tremendous importance of pollination, what goes on in the hive, why the bee keeper's smokebox is used and the distance bees fly in search of food and honey production.

The cover is abuzz with prettiness but when you open the book the true beauty begins. Any Nonfiction and nature lover ought to read and drool over this gorgeous sweet book. I will definitely look at bees with different eyes from now on!

My sincere thank you to Amber Books Ltd. and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this extraordinary book. What a discovery!

Really beautiful photography of one of the most important insects on this planet. This amazing coffee table book explores all there is to know about bees through photos and interesting captions. My favourite parts and photos were of the humble bumble bee covered in pollen and loved seeing how they made the honey too. I found out there is a lot more species of bees than I thought and how they all act so differently to each other. Taking photos of a tiny flying insect must be tricky so I am astounded at how many beautiful detailed photos there are. Really great book to have on your coffee table, but also to share the beauty and knowledge about bees that I think are often understated.

Opening this book up was a big surprise to see such beautiful pictures of many different kinds of bees. Bright and colourful photos of bees doing what bees do. Each photo has a little tidbit of written information to teach the reader interesting facts and make the bee a more understood insect. Over the years I have become more and more fascinated with the bees that I find in my gardens. I believe that the more people that look at the pages, the more people will admired bees as well.
This book is perfect for the coffee table, or any table really, and I would recommend it to anyone!

I was provided a digital version of the book to review but am looking forward to seeing it after it is published in a hardcopy form.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amber Books for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book!

Bees:: Heroes of the garden is a wonderful collection of photographs of bees accompanied by interesting facts. I learned so much about bees and their importance to the ecosystem, and the photographs are beautiful and fascinating. We are shown page after page of close up photos of bees at work, and I learned so much about their world. The role of queen is an intriguing one, as she exerts chemical influence over the rest of the hive., and we are shown the inner "politics" of the hive. We also look at several different species, such as bumblebees, honey bees, dwarf bees, carpenter bees, and more.

This gorgeous and intriguing collection of photos would look great on any coffee table.

I received a temporary digital copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. My review is voluntary.

I am providing this review in exchange for free digital access to the title via NetGalley. This is a very attractive book and enjoyable to page through. The photography is very high quality. However, in terms of a library purchase I would pass on this title for my collection because it doesn't make a stronger argument for preserving pollinator habitat. Bees are described in very pleasing ways but their crucial role in food production is not explored in depth.

I love bees and the more I learn about them the more I love them. The information in this book is easy to understand and covers different aspects of bee life and types of bees. The main focus of the this book is the photography and the photographs do not disappoint. The macrophotography is absolutely stunning, capturing everything from individual clumps of pollen trapped bumble bees fluff to the delicate structure of opalescent wings. Some of the pictures were harsh reminders that bees are first and foremost insects, but some truly capture the beauty of this key species. I can see this as a coffee table book for an avid gardener or apiarist.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amber Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Deep Pictorial Exploration of Bees

Honestly, I never thought I would have found a book just on bees to be so fascinating and beautifully photographed. I would call this a bee picture book, with enough text and captions to help you understand bees, bee anatomy, the honey-making process, and the all-important flowers. In the early part of the book, the author divides bee species into social and solitary ones. I'm surprised at how beautiful some of the pictures are, especially the ones with the bees on or near flowers. While some photos take a broader view of, say, a swarm of bees or a beekeeper working with hives, most are super close-ups of the bees, hives, and flowers. Some are so close up you can see the individual setae (hair-like projections on bees) and flecks of pollen. Frankly, some photos are actually beautiful, showcasing not only a variety of bee species but also flowers. Seeing how bee populations have dwindled dramatically across the world (because of human tampering with bees' natural habitats), appreciating what bees are and what they do for us in the background is important; we need to better appreciate how critical they are to us, especially in the natural pollination of food plants. This book will certainly further your appreciation of these key essential insect workers. This is a great book, also, to share with preteens or above who have an interest in science or food production. Highly recommended.