Bitter Honey: Big Ag's Threat to Bees and the Fight to Save Them

"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.

Author: Jennie Durant
Publisher: Island Press
Published: 05/26/2026
Pages: 248
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.40h x 6.30w x 1.40d
ISBN: 9781642834000


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 03/01/2026
Publishers Weekly 03/16/2026
Library Journal 04/10/2026 pg. 1

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.