This book by Eugene Marais is a passionate, insightful account into the world of termites. It is a meticulously researched expose of their complex, highly structured community life. Originally translated into English in 1937, the quality of research remains as relevant today as it was when it was first published. This illuminating account will not only appeal to those with a scientific interest in termites, but will similarly enthrall readers who are new to their captivating world. An exceptional feature of his detailed research is the extraordinary psychological life of the termite. While the studies are based in South Africa, the extensive research also includes the termites of Magnetic Island, Australia. You will be taken on an exciting journey into the amazing life of termites, as their astonishing world of hierarchy and roles within their community is revealed in captivating detail. His years of unceasing work on the veld led Eugene Marais to formulate his theory that the termite nest is similar in every respect to the organism of an animal. He observed that the workers and soldiers resemble red and white blood cells, while the fungus gardens are the digestive organ. The queen functions as the brain, controlling the collective mind, and the sexual flight of the kings and queens is similar in every aspect to the escape of spermatozoa and ova. Reviews "I have never read a book written in such a unique style. It is as though Eugene Marais breathes life into the words, animating the lives and struggles of the white ants in such a way that they almost seem human." "As a safari Guide in the Okavango Botswana for many years, I used this book as a basis for presenting a fascination for the smaller creatures of the African bush, my home for my entire life and which I was privileged to share with many clients from different countries. Termite mounds are really interesting and Eugene Marais compared the infrastructure of a termitary to that of the human body. Writing from the heart, this scientific author instills a wonder in the reader, of the incredible intracacies of nature, in a light-hearted, easily readable manner." "This book doesn't quit when it comes to fascinating insights about termites. I read it with almost no knowledge of what these tiny creatures are capable of, and I was transfixed by these rich and complex insect societies. For the layman, this is an entertaining and informative introduction to a very amazing creature." "Brilliant and thought provoking material." Contents 1) The Beginning of a Termitary 2) Unsolved Secrets 3) Language in the Insect World 4) What is the Psyche? 5) Luminosity in the Animal Kingdom 6) The Composite Animal 7) Somatic Death 8) The Development of the Composite Animal 9) The Birth of the Termite Community 10) Pain and Travail in Nature 11) Uninherited Instincts 12) The Mysterious Power which Governs 13) The Water Supply 14) The First Architects 15) The Queen in her Cell

An account by an experienced beekeepers of his system of management, developed over years, which makes the keeping of bees & the control of swarming easier

American entomologist and myrmecologist William Morton Wheeler (1865-1937) was one of the world's foremost scientists and Professor of Entomology at Harvard University. Trained as an insect embryologist, he became the leading authority on behaviour of social insects, especially ants. From 1903 to 1908 Wheeler was curator of invertebrate zoology in the American Museum of Natural History, New York. He was also member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Eight-Legged Marvels explores the diversity of colors, shapes, sizes, and behaviors of spiders around the world. Beyond a basic review of the biology of spiders, it offers incentive to think about beauty and design in a fascinating group of animals.

Popular Nineteenth Century nature writer and essayist John Burroughs on the following topics: "The Pastoral Bees," "Sharp Eyes," "Strawberries," "Is It Going to Rain?" "Speckled Trout," "Birds and Birds," "A Bed of Boughs," "Birds'-Nesting," and "The Halcyon in Canada." Originally published in 1879.

Insects are from many kinds and differ greatly in their life histories and habits. From the viewpoint of man, some insects are injurious, some are unimportant, and some are beneficial. Because of these differences it is important to recognize insects, in order that our war against injurious species may be carried on effectively. Well-preserved and properly labeled specimens are essential to the identification of insects. This publication gives information on collecting, preserving, handling, mounting, and labeling insect specimens, on subsequent care of collections, and on recognition of the general insect groups, or orders. It has been prepared in response to numerous requests from farmers, students, servicemen, and other individuals and groups interested in obtaining first-hand knowledge of insects by collecting them.

1911. Maeterlinck, the Belgian poet, dramatist, essayist and winner of the 1911 Nobel Prize in Literature, whose literary career began with the publication of two volumes of poetry. Lack of action, fatalism, mysticism, and the constant presence of death characterize the works of Maeterlinck. The shadow of death looms even larger in his later plays. Although Maurice Maeterlinck was an enthusiastic beekeeper and thoroughly familiar with the life of the bees, he did not intend to write a scientific treatise. The book is not an abstract of natural history but an exuberantly poetic work abounding in reflections, wherein Maeterlinck sets out his philosophy of the human condition. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

1879. Volume Four of Twenty-Three, Riverby Edition. John Burroughs emerged from an obscure boyhood in the Catskill Mountains to write more than thirty books, create the genre of the nature essay, and become the preeminent nature writer of his day. Through his essays in books and popular magazines, John Burroughs taught countless Americans to appreciate nature. Contents: The Pastoral Bees; Sharp Eyes; Strawberries; Is It Going to Rain?; Speckled Trout; Birds and Birds; A Bed of Boughs; Birds'-Nesting; and The Halcyon in Canada. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

1908. A charming volume on the history, lore and how-tos of beekeeping. Contents: The Ancients and the Honey-Bee; The Isle of Honey; Bee-Masters in the Middle Ages; At the City Gates; The Commonwealth of the Hive; Early Work in the Bee-City; The Genesis of the Queen; The Bride-Widow; The Sovereign Worker-Bee; A Romance of Anatomy; The Mystery of the Swarm; The Comb-Builders; Where the Bee Sucks; The Drone and His Story; After the Feast; The Modern Bee-Farm; and Bee-Keeping and the Simple Life.

I held the hat while the Deacon brought the board. Then with trembling care we slipped it under, and carefully carried the moth into the conservatory. First we turned on the light, and made sure that every ventilator was closed; then we released the Io for the night. In the morning we found a female clinging to a shelf, dotting it with little top-shaped eggs. I was delighted, for I thought this meant the complete history of a beautiful moth. So exquisite was the living, breathing creature, she put to shame the form and colouring of the mounted specimens. No wonder I had not cared for them!

Originally published in 1917, this is a wonderful early work on beekeeping and contains much information and many photos. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Home Farm Books are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork Contents Include: Beekeeping As An Occupation - How The Colony Is Organized - The Complete Hive - Accessory Equipment - Establishing The Colony - Spring In the Apiary - Summer In The Apiary - Fall And Winter Preparation - Queen Management - Diseases And Enemies - Honey Plants - Packing Honey For Market

1947. An encyclopedia pertaining to scientific and practical culture of bees. Everything a beekeeper needs to know about obtaining and keeping bee hives. The book is an encyclopedia of information and terms on the honeybee. If you keep bees or want to keep bees or simply want to know more about this unappreciated, but vital aid to our modern agriculture, you need this book.

1912. J.H. Fabre, as some few people know, is the author of half a score of well-filled volumes in which, under the title of Souvenirs Entomologiques, he has set down the results of fifty years of observations, study and experiment on the insects that seem to us the best-known and the most familiar: different species of wasps and wild bees, a few gnats, flies, beetles and caterpillars; in a word, all those vague, unconscious, rudimentary and almost nameless little lives which surround us on every side and which we contemplate with eyes that are amused, but already thinking of other things, when we open our window to welcome the first hours of spring, or when we go into the gardens or the fields to bask in the blue summer days. Contents: The Fable of the Cigale and the Ant; The Cigale Leaves its Burrow; The Song of the Cigale; The Cigale, The Eggs and Their Hatching; The Mantis. The Chase; The Mantis. Courtship; The Mantis. The Nest; The Golden Scarabaeus. Its Food; The Golden Scarabaeus. Courtship; The Field Cricket; The Italian Cricket; The Sisyphus Beetle. The Instinct of Paternity; A Bee-Hunter: The Philanthus Aviporus; The Great Peacock or Emperor Moth; The Oak Eggar or Banded Monk; A Truffle-Hunter: The Bolboceras Gallicus; The Elephant-Beetle; The Pea-Weevil; An Invader: The Haricot Weevil; The Grey Cricket; and The Pine-Chafer.

1913. With a Preface by Maurice Maeterlinck. From the Preface: J.H. Fabre, as some few people know, is the author of half a score of well-filled volumes in which, under the title of Souvenirs Entomologiques, he has set down the results of fifty years of observations, study and experiment on the insects that seem to us the best-known and the most familiar: different species of wasps and wild bees, a few gnats, flies, beetles and caterpillars; in a word, all those vague, unconscious, rudimentary and almost nameless little lives which surround us on every side and which we contemplate with eyes that are amused, but already thinking of other things, when we open our window to welcome the first hours of spring, or when we go into the gardens or the fields to bask in the blue summer days. This volume focuses on the Spider.

1913. With a Preface by Maurice Maeterlinck. From the Preface: J.H. Fabre, as some few people know, is the author of half a score of well-filled volumes in which, under the title of Souvenirs Entomologiques, he has set down the results of fifty years of observations, study and experiment on the insects that seem to us the best-known and the most familiar: different species of wasps and wild bees, a few gnats, flies, beetles and caterpillars; in a word, all those vague, unconscious, rudimentary and almost nameless little lives which surround us on every side and which we contemplate with eyes that are amused, but already thinking of other things, when we open our window to welcome the first hours of spring, or when we go into the gardens or the fields to bask in the blue summer days. This volume focuses on the Spider.

In an exuberantly poetic work that is less about bees and more about life, Maurice Maeterlinck expresses his philosophy of the human condition. The renowned Belgian poet and dramatist offers brilliant proof in this, his most popular work, that "no living creature, not even man, has achieved in the center of his sphere, what the bee has achieved." From their amazingly intricate feats of architecture to their intrinsic sense of self-sacrifice, Maeterlinck takes a "bee's-eye view" of the most orderly society on Earth.
An enthusiastic and expert beekeeper, Maeterlinck did not intend to write a scientific treatise, even though he details such topics as the mathematically accurate construction of the hive, the division of labor among community members, the life of the young queen and her miraculous nuptial flight, and the movement and meaning of the swarm.
An enchanting classic by one of the most important figures of world literature in the twentieth century and winner of the 1911 Nobel Prize in Literature, this fascinating study is a magnificent tribute to one of the most orderly communities in the world. It is also filled with humble lessons for the human race.

"We have chosen to ?ll our hives with honey and wax; thus furnishing mankind with the two noblest of things, which are sweetness and light." --Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
"Sweetness and Light is the fascinating story of bees and honey from the Stone Age to the contemporary cutting edge; from Nepalese honey hunters to urban hives on the rooftops of New York City. Honey is nature in a pot, gathered in by bees from many different environments--Zambian rain forests, Midwestern prairies, Scottish moors, and thyme-covered Sicilian mountainsides, to name a few. But honey is much more than just a food, and bees are more than mere insects. The bee is the most studied creature on the planet next to man, and it and its products have been harnessed by doctors, philosophers, scientists, politicians, artists, writers, and architects throughout the ages as both metaphor and material.
In colorful, mellifluous language that delights and excites on every page, Hattie Ellis interweaves social history, popular science, and traveler's tales into a buzzing chronological narrative. She explores the mysterious ways of bees, such as how they can make up to twenty-four thousand journeys to produce a single pound of honey, and she takes the lid off the hive to reveal as many as a hundred thousand bees living and working together in total discipline.
Great thinkers throughout the centuries have been inspired by bees, from Aristotle to Shakespeare to Charles Darwin to Frank Lloyd Wright, echoing, at every stage, the wider scienti?c discoveries and philosophical movements that have changed our understanding of the world. The unfolding story of bees also transports us into broader areas of historicalexperience: from the Egyptian pharaohs' elaborate burial chambers in the pyramids, the medieval guilds, the berserk drunken rituals of mead drinking, and the Mormons' epic journey west to candlelight in churches, sealing wax, and feast and famine.
The bee existed long before man; without bees, the planet and its inhabitants would soon begin to die. This small insect, with a collective significance so much greater than its individual size, can carry us through past and present to tell us more about ourselves than any other living creature.

Originally published in 1908. One of the earliest books on bee keeping and the natural history of the honey bee. Contents Include: The Ancients and the Honey Bee - The Isle of Honey - Bee Masters in the Middle Ages - The Commonwealth of the Hive - Early Work in the Bee City - Genesis of the Queen - The Bride Widow - The Sovereign Worker Bee - Anatomy - Mystery of the Swarm - The Comb Builders - The Drone - The Modern Bee Farm - Bee Keeping and the Simple Life. etc. Illustrated. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Home Farm Books are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

1908. From the Preface: In preparing the following pages the author has been more and more impressed by the fact that for the control of most of the worst insect pests of our staple crops, the farmer must depend very largely upon general methods of farm practice. This being the case, it is essential that he have a correct knowledge of the pest to be combated; such a knowledge of its life history as will make plain the reason for the effect of any given procedure against it. Contents: Injury Done Staple Crops by Insect Pests; Structure and Development of Insects; General Farm Practice against Injurious Insects; Beneficial Insects; Insects Injurious to Grains and Grasses; Insects Injurious to Wheat; Insects Injurious to Indian Corn; Weevil in Grain; Insects Injurious to Clover; Insects Injurious to Cotton; Insects Injurious to Tobacco; Insects Injurious to the Potato; Insects Injurious to the Sugar-Beet; and Insects Injurious to the Hop-plant.