What A Bee Knows: Exploring the Thoughts, Memories and Personalities of Bees by Stephen Buchmann

 

  Bees remember and recognize human faces. I wrote about this on a post last year, and I mentioned some facts about the fascinating brain of a bee.

 The brain of a bee is about the size of a poppy seed, but it contains almost one million neurons.  I was thrilled to discover Stephen Buchmann’s book, which was published by Island Press this year, so I borrowed it from the library as soon as I learned about it.

 Buchmann is a pollination ecologist who specializes in researching bees. His book takes us on an adventure to explore their sensations, minds and experiences. His goal is to spark wonder and curiosity for bees, and to dispel fears. 

 Buchmann describes the structure of a bee brain and the ways it functions. I was astonished to learn that brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) that exist in our own brains and influence our behaviors also exist in bees. For example, serotonin and dopamine are also found in bees. 

 What a Bee Knows reveals details about the intriguing lives of different species of bees. We learn about their behaviors, moods, nutrition and special abilities. Most bees feed on pollen and nectar.

 You may have heard about the “bugs” living in our gut, and how these bugs make up the composition of our microbiome. Our microbiome is linked to our health and general wellbeing. You will be surprised to learn that bees also have a gut microbiome. Researchers are actively studying their microbiome and how this amazing assemblage of bacteria, fungi and viruses is connected to their health. For example, Buchmann and his colleagues have found Lactobacillus in the gut of honey bees.

 Some of the components of the bees’ microbiome transfer from the pollen of flowers when the bees visit the flowers, and some of the protein from the microbes in the pollen are part of the nutrition of the larvae of the bees.

 Pesticides and herbicides in the environment cause a disruption of the microbiome of bees, and this has the potential to compromise their health. Currently, bees are in serious decline and there are many reasons for this.

  Climate change is an important one. The massive amounts of carbon dioxide spewed by burning fossil fuels continues to worsen climate change. Everybody is impacted by climate change. Bees are not an exception. Pesticides are fossil fuel- based, so they belong to the same issue that deserves our attention and understanding.

 Let’s share some figures from Buchmann's book to emphasize the need to protect bees:

"About 80 percent of the world’s 369,000 species of flowering plants depend upon insect pollination for fruit and seed set. More than 80 percent of the leading 115 major crop species worldwide depend on or at least partially benefit from floral visitation by animal pollinators. Pollination by animals, with bees predominating, contributes to an estimated 35 percent of global total crop production. Globally, the annual value of insect pollination of crop plants is estimated to be around 253 billion US dollars".

 Bee pollination improves both the quality and quantity of the crops. Food, fiber and beverage production depend on bees. Bees even ameliorate shelf life and commercial values. "We need bees more than they need us". 

  It is time to push human arrogance aside and do what it takes to support them. The good news is that we can help bees to survive and thrive by making mindful choices:

 

Plant wildflowers. If you don’t have a yard, use your window sill. Everything helps. Avoid buying hybrid flowers because those plants are selected to please humans, not pollinators, so they may have little nectar or pollen. Choose plants that are adapted to the local soil and climatic conditions. Native plants will entice a vast array of pollinators and will enliven your garden in delightful ways.

 Avoid using insecticides. Neonicotinoids, for example, are responsible for decimating bees and other pollinators and they still continue to be on sale.

 You can learn more about this here:

 https://wisconsinpollinators.com/Articles/Neonicotinoids.aspx

Roundup contains glyphosate, which affects the gut microbiota of honey bees. Other ingredients in Roundup are also toxic.

Avoid using lawn chemicals. Lawn care products contain hidden insecticides and herbicides. Besides, you risk harming yourself, your family and your pets. Enjoy the dandelions and clover. Remember that clover enriches the soil.

Avoid herbicides; they lower the number of blooms. Roadside weed blooms are food sources for various pollinators. Even though fungicides used on fruit trees don’t kill bees directly, they contaminate the food used for the bee larvae. This contamination affects the gut microbiome, whose integrity they need to stay healthy. 

Avoid mulching flower beds or paths. Thick-chipped bark mulches in flower beds harms bees. Around four thousand species of native bees in the United States are ground nesting. They need bare ground to make their nests.

Dead trees or limbs provide a habitat for leafcutter bees, mason bees, and other wildlife. Don’t remove them. 

There are projects you can join to support bees as a citizen scientist. You can also visit sites that post relevant information about bees:

https://www.beesinyourbackyard.com

  It goes without saying that everything we can do to address climate change is crucial  to protect bees as well. 

 Understanding the complexity of their brains and behaviors is an important aspect of the book. However, when the author compared the bee brain to the human brain he stated that human beings are born with a fixed number of neurons, and that this number does not change after birth. This has been debunked by research. Neurogenesis has also been documented in human brains, and it is also relevant to emphasize the concept of neuroplasticity. 

 Neuroplasticity is the process through which new connections and pathways develop in the brain, and brain stimulation plays an important role in boosting neuroplasticity. Doing activities that stimulate the brain, such as reading, learning new skills and other activities can help to foster neuroplasticity. The good news is that keeping a healthy lifestyle with adequate nutrition, sleep hygiene, exercise and meditation helps to support the neuroplasticity of the brain. The bottom line is that neuroplasticity happens in bees as well as in human beings.

  I found this amazing interview to Dr. Julia Basso. She is a neuroscientist, yoga instructor and dancer who researches the effects of yoga and dance on the brain. Last but not least, if you want to keep your brain healthy, avoid smoking, alcohol and drugs as part of your supportive plan.

 I never understood the fear of bees. I work alongside them without any kind of problem. If we treat bees with respect and consideration, they have no reason to attack us, so it is time to make choices that support their survival. We can all do our part to protect them. In doing so, we are supporting our own wellbeing as well as the present and future of all life in this beautiful planet.

 

References related to this post:

https://wisconsinpollinators.com/Articles/Neonicotinoids.aspx

 https://phys.org/news/2023-05-evolution-honey-bee-brains.html

https://beyondpesticides.org

 

The Impossibility of Love by Kate Wilson

 

  Kate Wilson sculpted a marriage between her poetry and Vincent Van Gogh’s artworks, evoking emotions and messages that capture the essence of his oeuvre.

  Each poem harmonizes with one specific painting. I read the book twice, because the second time I searched for each work of art. Traveling through time and space I dived into the soul of Van Gogh, revisiting the sense of communion he experienced with whatever or whoever inspired him to draw and paint.

   Kate Wilson’s poetry contemplates Vincent’s artworks with tenderness; it is rich in imagery, devoid of cliches, engaging.

 One of the saddest poems is about a woman called Sien. It relates to the drawing entitled “Sorrow”.  It is about the woman he loved, whose life was ruined by an addiction to alcohol. I’m only sharing a fragment of this delicate poem:

“She is sorrow

in pencil and parchment,

discolored over time.

 

I cannot see her face,

but I can hear her

shake and shudder

with the suddenness

of motherhood.”

 

  I believe, however, that the title of the collection, “The Impossibility of Love”, does not represent Vincent Van Gogh as a person and an artist. Vincent Van Gogh was love. He was inspired by love, and love was the foundation of his artworks and letters. Every medium he applied became an expression of it.

  Love was the light of inspiration that guided him through his creative journey.

  Kate Wilson’s poetry collection awakens all the senses and pulls at the reader’s heartstrings; she makes this possible through her artistry and emotional connection with Van Gogh. Her poetical world seems to paint at times her own platonic feelings for the artist.

The Impossibility of Love was published by Bosporus press.

I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A Life of Service by Peter Coppelman

 

 “When my spirit is broken

I retreat to my spirit home,

The wilderness…”

Peter Coppelman

   An attorney turned into a poet--Peter Coppelman-- shares life experiences with candor and humor. It takes courage to expose one’s intimate thoughts and vulnerability. Coppelman’s poetry helped to save his life, building a path of resilience and gratitude.

 “Each day that I’m alive I have a choice:

To wallow in despair or to rejoice…”

  Coppelman devoted his legal career “to public interest work, trying to help make the world a better, more just, more peaceful place.” At the end of the book there is information about his legacy. The essence of his career was inspired by Murphy Bell (1930-2017), an attorney who worked to end segregation in school districts around Louisiana. 

  Some of Peter Coppelman's main accomplishments have to do with the conservation of public spaces that were endangered; he created new National Monuments that were threatened under the Trump administration; he also worked to support the rights of disabled people in California (You can learn more details about his achievements from A Life of Service).

   There comes a stage in life when one is inclined to reflect on the past and examine experiences from new perspectives, dredging up wisdom and offering inspiration for new generations of people. His poetical world sifts memories of childhood, youth and adulthood through a creative lens. Sometimes he quotes poets like Walt Whitman and Mary Oliver, merging their words with his own verses. This happens, for example, in his poem “I contain multitudes”.

 “So many personas, the list goes on,

When writing a poem I can choose one to don.

Worrier, sinner, athlete, musician.

The sky’s the limit of what my life includes.

I contain multitudes.”

 

  The poetry collection also reveals the ways the recent pandemic impacted his life and the lives of others, and how the power of his imagination had the potential to create a refuge in times of uncertainty.

  My favorite poems from this collection are “Dances with the Whales”, “Journaling” and “Baby Gordy”. 

  The only poem I disliked was the one about bullfighting. I found this poem to be at odds with the rest of his collection, and it contradicts his vision. I think that the cheering of a bullfighter indicates how the normalization of violence and cruelty influences societies, and this normalization blinds people to the tragic consequences of such attitudes and actions. Rules and regulations are not enough to work against acts of violence. A change of mindset is also required. The fact that he was not disgusted by the bullfighter's behavior is a clear indicator of what I am trying to convey through my words.

  Torturing and killing animals for amusement is unethical and disgusting.

  I now recall Mahatma Gandhi’s words: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

  Bullfighting is an act of cruelty and it is not an acceptable “cultural tradition”. Even though 76 percent of citizens in Spain oppose it, it is still legal there. You can learn more about this issue by checking the site of the Humane Society International.

https://www.hsi.org/issues/cruelty-entertainment/

 

https://www.hsi.org/news-resources/bullfighting_how_help/

 

 I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

If you enjoyed this post, you can check my writing on the following books:

Inside Animals Hearts and Minds by Belinda Recio

 

Unlikely Friendships by Jennifer Holland

 

The Animals Agenda: Freedom, Compassion and Coexistence in the human age by Jessica Pierce and Marc Bekoff