Honey Bee Alchemy. A contemporary look at the mysterious world of bees, hive products and health

Honey Bee Alchemy. A contemporary look at the mysterious world of bees, hive products and health

The book offered to the reader's attention is the author's translation of a book published in Poland in 2013. The book is addressed to the lovers of wildlife and honey bees, and to everyone interested in beekeeping products, their composition and medicinal properties. For Western European and American readers, Chapters 4 and 7, containing information about practically unknown in the West unconventional but very valuable beekeeping products, may be of particular interest.

The author's scientific interests extend not only to the chemical composition and the origin of propolis, honey and other bee products, but also to the bee health. Unfortunately, in recent decades the bee health has noticeably deteriorated, resulting in many difficulties in beekeeping. The last Chapter of the book is devoted to the bee health and possible ways of their treatment, avoiding synthetic drugs with their unwanted side effects. The author's work in recent years is connected with these problems and it is no coincidence that the chapter devoted to the bee health has turned out to be the most revised and extended in comparison to the Polish edition.

In preparing this publication, photographs were used, kindly provided to me by the Polish beekeeper Mrs. Teresa Porankiewicz-Bartkowiak, to whom I express my sincere gratitude.