Book Description
for Honeybee Rescue by Loree Griffin Burns and Ellen Harasimowicz
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
After Mr. Connery discovers that one of his bee colonies has established a new hive in a rickety, drafty garage where they may not be able to survive the cold winter, he calls Mr. Nelson, a bee relocation specialist. Using his specially designed “Honeybee Sucker-Upper,” Mr. Nelson takes several hours to carefully vacuum the 35,000 bees from their barn rafter into the device’s collection chamber, while Mr. Connery cuts down the now bee-free sheets of honeycomb to fit into hive frames. Once the bees are all vacuumed and the new hive frames are hanging in hive boxes, the bees are re-deposited. Over the course of the next two weeks, Mr. Connery moves the new hive a few feet each day, until it’s in his garden next to the bees’ original hive. Double-page spreads explaining swarming, hive structure, and the bee-vac device are interspersed throughout this intriguing account. Large photographs illustrate the engaging, accessible text, and final pages include a glossary and further reading, as well as a fascinating interview with Mr. Nelson. Among the vital questions he answers: How is it he rarely gets stung, even without protective gear? (Ages 5-9)
CCBC Choices 2023. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2023. Used with permission.