Bitter Honey - by Jennie Durant (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"An ambitious, important, and utterly captivating book."--Mary Roach, New York Times bestselling author of Replaceable You and Stiff

A revealing investigation into how industrial farming poses a growing threat to America's bees

Each February, a vast yet largely invisible migration takes place across the United States. Semi-trucks stacked high with honey bee colonies head to California's Central Valley, carrying nearly 99 percent of the nation's domesticated bees. There, the bees pollinate millions of acres of blooming almond orchards before fanning out across the country for apples, berries, and other crops. This massive undertaking sustains both beekeepers and farmers--but it comes at a heavy price.

In Bitter Honey, Jennie Durant takes readers behind the scenes to reveal the human and ecological cost of industrial farming for bees, beekeepers, and all of us who depend on them. Bees today face a gauntlet of threats: parasites and disease, pesticide exposure, and climate extremes--all magnified by Big Ag. Beekeepers, meanwhile, endure grueling practices just to survive, often losing half their hives each year.

But this isn't a story of defeat. Durant introduces us to the beekeepers, farmers, and activists pioneering new ways to support both wild and managed bees. The stakes are high: nearly three-quarters of our major food crops depend on bees and other pollinators. Bitter Honey exposes the crisis threatening the nation's bees and spotlights the advocates working to protect them for generations to come.

Review Quotes

"A fascinating new book. . . . The story [Jennie Durant] tells in Bitter Honey is equally endearing and alarming."---Ron Charles

"A great exposé of the true cost of industrially farming US honeybees. . . . Durant paints a bleak, if honest, picture. In the second section of her book, however, she does offer some solutions, with forays into innovative planting, regenerative farming and rewilding."---Thomas Lewton, New Scientist

"Jennie Durant has written a very significant book. I urge everyone to read it. I swore to myself that I would resist calling it the new Silent Spring, but it's impossible not to. It's just that important."---David Gascoigne, Travels with BIrds

"[Jennie Durant's] years working with policymakers, beekeepers, and scientists have introduced her to key players at all levels of this impending national crisis, and their personal stories of triumph and frustration, creativity and determination make for lively and informative reading."---Carol Haggas, Booklist

"Environmental writer Durant debuts with a deeply researched exposé of the agricultural industry's role in bee population decline. . . . [An] important wake-up call."-- "Publishers Weekly"

About the Author

Jennie Durant is a writer and researcher focused on bees, agriculture, and the environment. She has spent more than a decade working with beekeepers, scientists, and policymakers, including time at the US Department of Agriculture and University of California, at both Davis and Berkeley. Her writing has appeared in Grist, Glamour, HuffPo, and the San Francisco Chronicle. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.