Why a Booktrail?
1851, 2007, 2098: Just how vital to the world’s survival are bees after all?
The History of Bees
What you need to know before your trail
England, 1851. William is a biologist and seed merchant, who sets out to build a new type of beehive—one that will give both him and his children honour and fame.
United States, 2007. George is a beekeeper and fights an uphill battle against modern farming, but hopes that his son can be their salvation.
China, 2098. Tao hand paints pollen onto the fruit trees now that the bees have long since disappeared. When Tao’s young son is taken away by the authorities after a tragic accident—and is kept in the dark about his whereabouts and condition—she sets out on a grueling journey to find out what happened to him.
Locations
Reset- England - Hertfordshire
- A: Hertfordshire Honey Bee Supplies UK
- USA/America - Ohio
- B: Conrad's Hive and Honey
Travel Guide
19th century rural Hertfordshire
The town of Maryville is of course fictional. The only remotely similar name of a village in England is Bourneville so if you’re not keen on honey, there’s the home of chocolate you can visit.
This is the home of William who is a seed merchant and biologist whose dream it is, is to build anew kind of bee hive out of wood.
Ohio 2007
George has bees which he ‘rents out’ so they can go and pollinate the plants and flowers of the farm in question. His son has no interest in the business and doesn’t want to be the one to take it on. However, George runs into serious problems when Colony Collapse Disorder threatens to end the industry. He’s also got a whole network of similar producers to deal with.
China in 2098
Read this report about hand pollination in 2005!
A dystopian China is a strange place to be. Imagine what life will be like in 2098 – what will climate change have created, what will the future of bees be like at this point?
Bees by this point in the story have in fact died out across the world so pollination has to be done by people themselves – the word is labour intensive and very hard to get right. When their son is taken to Bejing, the family go looking for him, but it seems he may be involved in a secret, underground plot involving the future of the planet.
Booktrail Boarding Pass: The History of Bees
Destination : Hertfordshire, Sichuan Province, Ohio Author/Guide: Maja Lunde Departure Time: 1851, 2007, 2098
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