The Case of the Vanishing Honeybees: A Scientific Mystery

by Sandra Markle

Overview

Honeybees are a crucial part of our food chain. As they gather nectar from flowers to make sweet honey, these bees also play an important role in pollination, helping some plants produce fruit. But large numbers of honeybees are disappearing every year . . . and no one knows why. Is a fungus killing them? Could a poor diet be the cause? What about changes to bees' natural habitat? In this real-life science mystery, scientists and beekeepers are working to answer these questions . . . and save the world's honeybees before it's too late.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467705929
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/28/2013
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	980L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Sandra Markle is the author of numerous award-winning books for children. A former elementary science teacher, she is a nationally-known science education consultant.



Markle has received many honors for her series Animal Predators, Animal Scavengers, and Animal Prey. Several titles have been named as National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)/Children’s Book Council (CBC) Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, and Animal Predators was honored as a Top 10 Youth Nonfiction Series by Booklist.



Markle is also the author of the Insect World series and several single titles. Her book Rescues! was named a Best Book by the Society of School Librarians International and a Recommended Title of Outstanding Nonfiction by the National Council of Teachers of English’s (NCTE) Orbis Pictus Award committee; Animal Heroes was named a 2008 Lasting Connections title by Book Links.



Markle lives in Lakewood Ranch, Florida with her husband, photographer Skip Jeffery.

Editorial Reviews

"The worker bee and its vital role in the life cycle of the honeybee are interwoven with the threat that Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) poses to bees, plants, and humans in straightforward language on honey-colored paper, illustrated with full-color photographs on every page. Commercial colonies of bees are trucked around the country to pollinate almonds, blueberries, apples, citrus fruit, and pumpkins in a yearly cycle that does not include the winter rest that wild bees take. But because these honeybees can mix with wild populations, the threat of CCD is not confined to commercial bee colonies. The work of scientists examining such possible causes as virus, fungus, mites, and pesticides and possible remedies is described. The glossary and index provide good definitions of terms relating to both honeybees and CCD. The author has included a half page of interesting factoids about honeybees as well as suggestions for how to help them locally and organizations involved in “Global Rescue Efforts.” An excellent first purchase for reports as well as for general interest." —starred, School Library Journal

From the Publisher

The honeybee disappearance that started around 2006 is a great science mystery to bring non-scientists into the excitement of scientific discovery. Honeybees are important. Their demise will affect us all. And scientists need to use all their tools to learn the answers. Markle’s writing is not quite the page-turner drama that comes with a fictional mystery, but she comes close without resorting to over dramatizing the subject. Stunning pictures keep the book anchored in the real world. This is a real mystery that people continue to grapple with, even as they find some answers, more questions crop up. There are other fine books on this topic, including The Hive Detective (Loree Griffin Burns), however, Markle writes for a younger audience, one that is not ready for the tension in Burns book, but may be drawn into this one with the wonderful photos Markle uses. Broken into five chapters, the writing is straight forward, and maps as well as photos and drawings are used appropriately. This would be a wonderful pick for elementary classrooms that want to expand their normal insect studies. Reviewer: Amy S. Hansen; Ages 7 to 12.

Children's Literature - Amy S. Hansen

2013-09-15
Markle presents a solid, respectful overview of colony collapse disorder for an audience slightly younger than Loree Griffin Burns' The Hive Detectives (2010). The author opens her story in October 2006, with a beekeeper checking on his hive to discover that thousands of his workers have disappeared. From this compelling opening, she backtracks to discuss the importance of honeybees in pollination as well as bee basics. She then moves on to discuss possible causes of CCD: monoculture and suburban sprawl, overwork (a map provides graphic testimony to commercial bees' arduous schedules), mites, fungus and pesticides. Both natural and human defenses against CCD present some hope. Bees reproduce fast, and adjustments made to bees' schedules and feeding can help, as does breeding mite- and disease-resistant bees and the rise in hobbyist beekeeping. Markle never talks down to her audience, using specialized vocabulary--Nosema ceranae, varroa mite, neonicotinoid--and lucidly defining it in context as well as gathering it in a glossary. Big, full-color photographs are reproduced against honey-colored backgrounds. (Sharp-eyed readers will wonder why there is no mention of a mite clearly attached to a dead bee in a photograph captioned, "This bee didn't have any symptoms to show it was sick before it died.") Further facts as well as ways to help honeybees appear in the backmatter. In all, a solid addition to the insect shelves, with a valuable emphasis on science as process. (bibliography, index). (Nonfiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews