Chittka, a behavioral ecology professor at Queen Mary University of London, combines cutting-edge science with a rich historical perspective in this take on what it means to be a bee. His goal, which he accomplishes remarkably well, is to dispel the belief that an individual bee is nothing more than "a mindless cog" in a hive; instead, he argues, bees have "beautifully elaborate brains." He considers whether bees have individual personalities, experience consciousness, or dream­, and in each case, using experiments he and his coworkers have undertaken, explores the likelihood of answers in the affirmative. He demonstrates that bees can be trained to recognize faces, "have a visual processing speed five times faster than humans," are capable of learning certain tasks that prove they comprehend the concepts of "above" and "below" quicker than primates, and can learn to use tools. Throughout, Chittka offers evolutionary explanations for many of the behaviors he describes--insects, for example, "were pre-adapted for flower color-coding hundreds of millions of years before there were any flowers." The knowledge on offer here is as entertaining as it is edifying. Readers won't look at bees the same way again. (June)

Exploring the question of what it's like to be a bee, this book may remind readers of a murder mystery. True, it is about life and intelligence, not death, but Chittka (Queen Mary Univ. of London) expresses the background, sensory world, and the contrast between automatic instinct and variable learning that characterize the mystery genre. There is a build-up of information about communications, and learning about surrounding space and flowers and social learning across a group. Chittka provides data about the brains and personalities of bees, then in the denouement discusses what a bee mind might be--not known for sure--with added pieces of information suggesting that bees do have a mind, although it is probably not anything like that of humans. Throughout the discussion Chittka provides detail, including names and anecdotes about scientists and other investigators. Readers are reminded that studies of bees are both centuries old and swiftly advancing with the advent of modern technology, which allows researchers to do such things as track the foraging patterns of a single bee or find out which bumblebees are devoted foragers and which ones are lazy. This is both a "good read" and an eye-opening look into the behavior of animals we have lived near yet mostly taken for granted. Summing Up: Essential. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students and faculty. General readers. --Jennifer A. Mather, University of Lethbridge

A leading expert on bee psychology takes readers on a fascinating journey into the mind of man's best insect friend. Chittka (sensory and behavioral ecology, Queen Mary Univ., London) argues that bees, even with brains the size of a pinhead, are far from being "reflexive robots." His book examines bees' sensory world, their instinctual repertoire, and how it relates to learned behaviors. He also studies the evolutionary roots of bee intelligence, how they navigate the "flower supermarket," the possibility of bees having "personality" and possessing some form of consciousness (and the ethical implications of that), and much more. Chittka cites extensive scientific research, including his own, that shows bees pulling off surprising cognitive feats (recognizing flowers and human faces, displaying emotions, counting, and using tools). Bees have long fascinated humanity, so it's fitting that Chittka also surveys the insights of eminent historical entomologists--adding another layer of interest and stylistic flair to the text's scholarly content. While some of Chittka's topics are challenging, the book's cogent structure, nifty illustrations, and smartly written chapter summaries and transitions will help pop-science readers through it. VERDICT The book's bees astound; so too the clever humans who study them.--Robert Eagan