Book Review: A Sting in the Tale: My Adventures with Bumblebees by Dave Goulson

This is a perfect summer reading. It is personal. It is informative. It is funny. It is sad. And it is engaging. I listened to the book while I took macro photographs outside of bugs, wasps, and bumblebees, and it took the experience into a whole new level. I don’t think words do justice to this book, and the only thing I can say is to read it or listen to it. You will enjoy it.

Okay, this might not be for you if you want to have a strictly scientific book about bumblebees but hear me out first before you dismiss it. The book contains a lot of information about their structure, living habits, social habits, and breeding habits. It is sprinkled throughout the book and enchanted with Goulson’s personal experiences. He was a creepy child. In a good way. And what makes it wonderful is, he admits it.

Now you might get the idea that this is a silly book with some facts in it, but that isn’t the case. It is political as well if you like that sort of thing. Goulson goes over the reasons why the bee population has decreased, why it is dangerous to introduce them to somewhere they aren’t native, and what it means to return the Queen back home (and where should the Queen be returned from.)

You might have gathered as much that I loved this book. I did. I have nothing bad to say. Just smiling a happy smile and thinking of ordering the book as a physical copy.

“The key to helping our rarer species to thrive is probably simply to add more flower patches to the landscape, making it a little easier for them to find food and keep their nests well provisioned.”

P.S. If you want to help a bee population, plant lavender.