Following the bloom : across America with the migratory beekeepers

by Douglas Whynott

Paper Book, 1991

Status

Available

Genres

Collection

Your library

Publication

Boston : Beacon Press, c1991.

Description

Twelve months on the road with America's last cowboys: the migratory beekeepers. In this absorbing work of literary journalism, Douglas Whynott introduces us to the world of migratory beekeeping, a world composed of clandestine state-border crossings, dodgy rigs, and unforgettable characters. An updated edition of Whynott's classic account of his twelve months spent chasing the nectar flow with a few good men and women-and millions of honeybees-Following the Bloom tells the story of America's "last real cowboys." Overcoming catastrophic mechanical breakdowns, escaped bees that wreak havoc in suburban neighborhoods, and unfriendly state bee inspectors who threaten to burn entire bee colonies, these beekeepers truck hundreds of thousands of hives from state to state. From the cranberry bogs of Cape Cod and the blueberry fields of Maine to the clover fields of North Dakota and the orange groves of Florida, beekeeper and bee alike pursue the bloom. Seamlessly combining the remarkable physics of the beehive, the political realities of commercial beekeeping, and the compelling adventures of America's migratory beekeepers, Following the Bloompays homage to the hive, the honey, and the beekeeping cowboy.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member ruby

I've had a bit of a fascination with bees lately (you may have noticed this if you've been reading this booklist carefully), and this book is one of the more compelling I've found on the subject.

Migratory beekeepers truck their hives from Florida or California north in the summers, to the

blueberry fields in Maine, the clover fields in North Dakota, and other places where pollination assistance is welcome and where bees will make wonderful honey. Then in the winter they travel south again, combining the work of pollinating crops with that of producing honey and wax. Whynott spent a few years following these beekeepers on their journeys, talking to them about bees, about their lives, their work, and their thoughts about bees and honey and politics and whatever else came up.

He tells the story of his travels in a journalistic style, with side notes about various bee-related subjects, such as federal honey subsidies (chapters 19, 20, and 21), the concept of "bee space" (the room bees leave between combs, chapter 5), how bees collect pollen and communicate where it is to other bees (chapters 10, 27, 39, 41, and 43). But Whynott's stories are mostly of individual beekeepers, the operation and histories of their mostly family-run businesses, and the political and social context within which they work. It is really a book about people and their connection to the work of tending bees.

Following the Bloom is easy to read -- the everyday exploits of real, specific people are interesting, and the bits of practical information about bees, beekeeping, farming, and the honey industry are folded so smoothly into the beekeepers' stories that I was surprised to feel quite a bit smarter (bee-wise) when I was finished reading the book.

There is no index, but the text is followed by a useful bibliography.

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