Jack Mingo

All the Buzz for Beekeeping Beginners“The book oozes with bee facts and trivia…. Bees do make good pets and this book is a gentle introduction to the world of backyard bee keeping.” —Patsy Bell Hobson, writer and master gardener emeritus#1 New Release in Entomology and Insects & SpidersWhat happens when a writer sets up a backyard beehive? You get a beekeeping book full of fun and fascinating facts about honey bees and our other favorite pollinators. A nature guide book for beekeeping beginners. Full of trivia, tips, legends, and lore—this quirky bee book swarms with interesting information, so you can have fun, learn stuff, grow your farm, or just relax. Writer and beekeeper Jack Mingo lives with half a million bees, and has picked up a thing or two at his bee farm. In this collection of humorous and often unusual observations, Mingo shows us a glimpse of the mystical and matriarchal world of bees. The save the bees sign you’ve been looking for. How many legs do bees have? Enough not to crowd your bed at night. They don't track mud or bugs into your house, and they won’t bark and whine. They even greet you with raw honey and beeswax. And these are just some of the reasons bees make the best pets of all. Whether you’re a beekeeping beginner, looking to save the bees, or interested in fun nature facts about bugs and insects, there’s something here for every nature lover. Step into Mingo’s hive for tidbits like:Fun and interesting tips and tricks for beekeeping beginnersKnowledge about the color, quality, and benefits of local honeyThe history and legendary stories of bees, like the role they played in the Civil War and the Legend of the Caroling BeesIf you liked Beekeeping for Dummies, The Beekeeper’s Handbook, or Beekeeping for Beginners, you’ll love Bees Make the Best Pets.

Writer and beekeeper, Jack Mingo, who set up his first backyard hive in 2004, offers his humorous and unique observations of the world of the mystical, matriarchal, gentle, sweet bee in "Bees Make the Best Pets." Full of fun facts, Mingo shares a potpourri of bee and bee-keeping trivia; practical tips and legend and lore. And here are just some of the reasons bees make the best pets: They don't bark and whine all night if you leave them in the backyard. In fact, they rather prefer it. Bees don't demand petting, attention, or a food dish. They find their own food. Bees greet you with honey for your toast and beeswax for your candles, not dead mice. You will never be tempted to succumb to your worst self, dress your bees in funny costumes, and humiliate them on YouTube. When bees pay attention to your plants, it's not to dig them up. They actually help them blossom, bear fruit, and thrive. Bees don't track mud, poison ivy, or fleas into your house. Bees don't have kittens.

Erin Barrett and Jack Mingo are the Queen and King of trivia, relied upon by game shows including Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and game manufacturers. Millions of people read their daily newspaper column and together they've written twenty books. The sixth book in the 'Totally Riveting Utterly Entertaining (TRUE) Trivia Series' puts a magnifying lens on the wacky world of writers. It Takes a Certain Type to Be a Writer will tell you everything you could possibly want, or were afraid, to know about writers, publishing, and the writing life. Bitesized facts are organized into chapters including "Everyone's a Critic," "Stranger than Fiction," "From Bad to Verse," "Kiddie Lit," "A Word's Worth," and many more. You'll learn things like: where Proust wrote (in bed with gloves on)/ what Voltaire drank (70 cups of coffee a day)/ and how James Cain prepared himself for yet another publisher's rejection. (The title The Postman Always Rings Twice had nothing to do with the plot of the bestselling novel. It was a private joke of author James Cain. His postman would ring his doorbell twice whenever the many-times-rejected manuscript came back from a publisher.)

HOW MUCH ELECTRICITY CAN YOU GET FROM AN ELECTRIC EEL? WHEN CAN MISTLETOE BE THE KISS OF DEATH? HOW MANY SHEEP DOES IT TAKE TO GET ENOUGH WOOL FOR A SUIT? WHAT DID BOOK WORMS EAT BEFORE THERE WERE BOOKS? The mysteries of the natural world are endless, but your trusty manservant, Jeeves, has the answers to hundreds of nature's most fascinating mysteries. Based upon questions received at the popular Ask Jeeves® website, Just Curious About Animals and Nature, Jeeves is a fun and freewheeling safari of discovery that can tame even the most savage intellectual curiosity. Packed with incredible facts on everything from the size of a giraffe's tongue (yow, two feet!) to just how fast a fly can fly (4.5mph) to whether dogs have belly buttons (yes, they do), this is a book certain to both amuse and amaze. With a little help from everybody's butler, you'll unlock the secret behind the firefly's glow, wonder at the language of hippos, and scratch your head when you learn the truth about poison ivy. Certain to help you develop the kind of brainpower that will impress your friends and frighten your enemies, Just Curious About Animals and Nature, Jeeves is perfect for fans of flora and fauna, or for anyone who wants to know the whats, whens, whys, and hows of nature.