An engaging discussion of bumblebees both ubiquitous and elusive, and the authors involvement with them concentrating on the short haired bumblebee and attempts to restore populations to England. On the way various habits and requirements of bumblebees and the important rolls they play - and the differences between them and honey bees - are visited. As of 2019 and 10 years of effort, some rare bumblebees are less so in the UK, but Bombus subterraneus hadn't been observed repopulating Kent, 7 years after this book was published. ( )

Part cheerful memoir but with a solid core about bees and the wider ecology. I learnt a lot about bumblebees and by the end the cheerfulness was shadowed by the panic that is the collapse of the environment as we used to know it. I volunteered this summer and was trained to do the Bumblebee Conservation Trust Bee Walks (via the local Wildlife Trust) - and I can recommend them as really enjoyable as well as hopefully important if enough of us do them. The author set up the Trust and is someone who has actually made quite a difference in the bumblebee world. ( )

Disclosure: I'm biased as he was my lecturer. I was in no way coerced, bribed or encouraged to read this though. Quite the opposite! I felt quite weird about reading it.

That said, this was a very easy read. The first couple of chapters just breezed past as I laughed and cringed slightly (to me they were horribly relatable, especially the inevitable accidental animal deaths as he tried so hard to save them). The rest of it is a great mix of facts about the evolution, life history and ecology of bumblebees, anecdotes about Goulson's studies of them over his career, and a slightly more serious thread of bumblebee conservation linking them all throughout.

I don't think anyone can fail to love bumblebees after exposure to an enthusiast like Goulson, and this book is no exception. It does a decent job linking bumblebee conservation to wider environmental issues but he's jokingly honest* about his motivations for engaging in the work (liking meadows and finding nature relaxing - a very anthropocentric view but it's good to have someone say it). Bees are a good choice of subject as they're obviously linked to so many essential crops and people mostly find them fairly inoffensive for an invertebrate, even cute. Domesticated for so long, they're a part of human agriculture that we'd sorely miss. It's only a small step from honeybees to all the wonderful diversity of bee species the world has to offer.

What I appreciate most about this book is the way it makes connecting with conservation and the natural world seem much less intimidating. As he points out towards the end, people are overwhelmed with the magnitude of the task in front of them. Species are going extinct at a phenomenal rate and they have no idea what they can (practically) do about this. I think making science approachable and human now is hugely important, as we don't want to see a divide in the population between "believers" and "unbelievers" (climate change or vaccination style) on any more issues. It makes more sense for people to be working from the same, evidence-based, set of facts.

Overall, an enjoyable read. A good companion piece to Feral (Monbiot, 2013) for getting a very personal education in conservation issues. This fills in the gaps of Feral very well - where Monbiot is a great lover of the sea, Goulson loves meadows - and the types of organism they focus on are very different. As an active researcher, Goulson's approach is different too - there are many very interesting facts about diseases and other factors affecting bumblebees in this book, whereas Monbiot is very focused on the legislative side (also very important). They're agreed on the importance of getting farmers on board with changes, ideally the public too. Hopefully texts like these will be one way of increasing understanding and care about conserving the natural world.

*I'm going to assume honesty for the sake of this review. ( )

This is delightful little book about the bumblebee, written by Goulson, one of the few people who are experts on this amazing insect.

In the book he explains about the different species that we have in this country, and outlines some of the research projects that he has been doing on the populations of these bees, re-introduction programmes and other projects that his students have undertaken. He writes about a property that he bought in France, that he is turning the brass back into a wildlife meadow, to disbelief from the locals. He founded the BBCT, and it has grown to have 11 staff and hundreds of members.

The books is written with the authority that you get from someone who is a renowned expert in his field. But more than that, Goulson has rare wit and endless infectious enthusiasm for his little subjects, and this is what makes this such a good book. ( )

I don't have any particularly strong feelings about bees, but this was very interesting and readable.

I wonder how the attempts to reintroduce short-haired bees to the UK are panning out now! I'll have to look it up. ( )