The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe (Scientists in the Field Series) by Loree Griffin Burns

The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe (Scientists in the Field Series) by Loree Griffin Burns is a fantastic in-depth look at honeybees and the recent incidences of CCD (colony collapse disorder).  As fellow pollinators to my monarch butterflys, I was fascinated by this look at the gentle and amazing insect that is the honeybee.

The latest in the Scientists in the Field series begins with a look at beekeeping.  As a student teacher, the school I was placed in had the “Bee Man” come in and present and I was just as fascinated as the kids.  Beekeeping is awesome and very few students are aware that it is even a viable career today.  This study of beekeeping leads to a deeper look at colony collapse disorder and the ripple effects of it.  The reader is introduced to four scientists and researchers who focus on CCD and what could cause it. While they are still not certain of the exact cause of CCD, the book explores a few possibilities that include mites, virus, and a parasite.

While this is a thin book it packs a powerful punch and a lot of information into a small package.  The photographs are also amazing- including some up-close-and-personal looks at beehives.  This is a great nonfiction book for any library and especially for a science classroom.  Highly recommended.

*Review copy courtesy of the publisher