Hive Tour: The Insider's Guide to Honey Bees

By Phil Frank & Frank Linton
Honey Tongue Press, 2022

This is the book I wish I’d had when I started beekeeping 17 years ago. It effectively illustrates what beekeepers observe when they enter the honeybee’s world using simple text descriptions layered on beautiful, detailed photos of what is a mystery to many: the inside of a bee hive.

At first glance, Hive Tour seems to be a children’s book in that the descriptions on each page are short and to the point. But my “huh” moment came when I realized the graphic novel approach used in this book serves as a perfect reference piece for anyone from small children  up to Master Beekeepers. 

Over the years there have been many books that tell us what beekeeping is about but few that show in great detail what the beekeeping language portrays. Matching the words to the actual events is especially important for new beekeepers as they learn to identify disease and parasites that have become so prevalent in recent years.

From illustrating the parts of a bee to showing us the “waggle dance” that bees perform to communicate to their sisters the location of food sources, Hive Tour is a handy cheat sheet for those who keep bees and would like to share the visuals with friends.

While the focus of the book is visual there is an excellent glossary and list of reference books included for those wishing to learn more about honey bees.

Reviewed by Greg Smela, a beekeeper and photographer in Vermont.