Publishing date: 28.01.2025 (DD/MM/YYYY)
Thank you to NetGalley and Highbridge Audio for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

TLDR: A deep dive into complex issues surrounding beekeeping

This is in short, an informative book about bee history, keeping, and the issues they face today. It tackles complex issues and attempts to debunk myths and misunderstandings.

I really enjoyed this book. It has lots of info, I learned lots of new things, and it made me appreciate wild and solitary bees even more. It also made me sad about bumblebees ...

Audio-vise this is wonderfully voiced. Comfortable, no mumbling, and engaging enough.

Audience wise I think this might only be appreciated by people who are interested in bees. If the subject is something you already have an interest in, go for it. Not sure if those who don't care for or like bees would enjoy the book.

I am giving this 4 stars, informative, short and sweet, and I learned something new about bees

I knew a little bit, going in, about the way “save the bees” had become “ruin native bee populations” thanks to backyard beekeepers exploding in popularity, but I had no idea the extent, nor, truly, how complex the issue is. This was a very easy read, with Church laying out the facts with an even and urgent tone. Her descriptions of the bee behaviours was quite enthralling; never mind how complex the issue is, the bees themselves are extremely complex!

She also gets into some of the history of bees in different cultures, which was super interesting.

A very good book for anyone wanting more knowledge about bees, about the environment, and about the ways “save the bees” has been co-opted by turnkey beekeeping companies preying on people just trying to do their bit to help the environment.

I am not a beekeeper, but I thought that The Honey Trap was well written and narrated and that the evidence provided in the book provided a was done in a logical manner way to support the authors conclusion.

Although I'm not sure that "urban beekeepers" are the problem; it sounds to me that the beekeeping industry and those meaning to profit from bees are the problem. Shipping bees globally doesn't seem like a good plan. Bees shipped to Chile didn't read the regulations that they shouldn't cross the border into Argentina and it seems that since they arrived, its hard to find some native bees.

It also seems that shipping bees across America for them to pollenate crops in the crazy way that it is being done is probably excessively stressful for the bees. Unfortunately we probably won't fully realize the damage until its too late. Importing bees pushes native bees out, too many bees can potentially harm the crops. When the native bees disappear, and the non-native bees have been moved to another part of the country ... then what? Its all about money and it doesn't always make sense.

I don't live in an urban setting. Some neighbors have bees. Maybe there should be an acre to hive ratio before establishing beehives in urban areas?

Interesting audiobook. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to listen to the advance listen version available via NetGalley and HighBridge Audio. (I couldn't find the correct ISBN number provided with the advance listen copy established on Goodreads. The author/Dana L. Church and narrator/Janet Metzger do match.) Audio version reviewed was 5 hours 9 minutes. Publication date is Jan 28, 2025.

4.5 stars, rounding to 5. Seems important. Drives me crazy when I drive past cows packed into barns, it is rare to find pasture raised cattle/cows anymore. (At least in my part of the Midwest.) So sad.

This is a classic "if you are interested in the subject matter, read it." I can easily imagine for those more deeply interested in the subject matter, it might earn a fourth star, but for a casual outsider with no particular knowledge of the subject beyond a sincere curiosity like myself, this was merely an okay read.

The information is interesting and some of the ending chapters in particular that speak to the specific problems addressed in the title of the book are certainly the highlight, as is the republished essay of a colleague. I can also honestly say that I am somewhat interested in checking out some of the books the author recommends throughout as they seem like something closer to what I would be more interested in learning about bees. Still, if my assertion that "this is the kind of book you should read if you are interested in the subject matter" is true, than the opposite assertion "this is the kind of book you shouldn't read if you are not interested in the subject matter" must also be true.

Are you a victim of beewashing? If you read this book, you’ll discover that you likely are and you don’t even know it! Long story short, you’re actually hurting bees when you take up backyard beekeeping so don’t do it.
I’ve actually never been interested in beekeeping as it is an exploitative practice. Bees do not exist for humans beings to use. Their honey is made for themselves and their children. I wanted to listen to this book because I often discuss with people why I do not eat animals or their secretions (including honey, of course) and I’m always looking for information about bees to add to the discussion.
As I was listening to the audiobook I could feel how deeply connected the author feels to bees and her great desire to share her knowledge to help them. I enjoyed learning about bees as sentient beings and appreciated hearing about the author’s experiences with bees. The audiobook narrator has a soothing, kind voice that brought me back to my grade school days of loving to learn new things.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGallery for letting me listen!

This is an eye-opening book that counters the ideas that bee colony collapse is sign of the apocalypse and that more bees = a better future. Beekeepers apparently are used to the loss or collapse of their hives and typically deal with it by splitting an existing colony to help repopulate a lost one. And while bees are critical to our food supply, it is wild bees that need to be protected. The author makes the case that urban and backyard bee farming is not much different or removed from large enterprises that bring bee hives to farm around the continent, but that the benefits have not been proven to help with harvest yields. She also likens bee farming to raising livestock in pens: dangers of infections spreading wildly. To add meat to this bone, there is a lot of information about different species of bees: Their coloring, their habitats, whether or not they sting or live solo. Lots of scientific names used throughout. Honestly I zoned out at times when it was mostly scientific details, despite the excellent narration. My favorite was a description of baby squash bees (not their scientific name!) that are cradled in squash blossoms at night. I would have enjoyed even more anecdotes like this.
Bottom line, I learned a lot about bees, some of which I will retain, and enough to stop thinking about raising bees for the environment and other “bee-washing” notions.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @HighBridgeAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook for review purposes. Publication date: Jan. 28, 2025