The Bee Bible by Sally Coulthard review
The Bee Bible: 50 Ways to Keep Bees Buzzing by Sally Coulthard completely won me over from the first random page I opened it to. As someone who loves nature, I picked it up out of curiosity.
A beautiful book
What initially struck me was how beautifully laid out the book is. Every page feels like a little gift. The section on planting wildflowers to support bees made me want to rush outside and start planning new flower beds.
The illustrations are gorgeous. See the beautifully designed title pages here:
For me, The Bee Bible isn’t just a pretty book — it’s practical, inspiring, and it’s genuinely changing how I interact with nature. The Bee Bible is brimming with real, doable actions. If you care about bees and want to make a difference, this book will give you both the knowledge and the motivation to start right away.
50 ways to help bees
The 50 ways to help bees range from no-effort, instant-gratification tips to projects that will require more work, but will make a huge impact.
For example, number 28 is “leave some bare ground” (because some bee species like to dig tunnels underground and make nests), while number 29 gives you pointers on how to develop a community bee garden.
Number 33 is “use the hashtag #SaveTheBees on Twitter and Instagram to find out about current campaigns, gardening for bees, scientific research, projects to help pollinators and bee champions across the world.”
Tip 40 told me why never to feed tired bees honey (it can spread diseases from other hives, use a sugar and water solution instead), while section 47 gives an overview of bee first aid.
There are easy projects that can be done with children, such as creating a “bee drinker” – a shallow dish of water filled with rocks so that any landing insects can drink without drowning.
Bees love weeds
Tip number 19 is to “love the weeds”:
“Don’t be too hasty to create an immaculate garden – bees are particularly fond of common weeds such as dandelions, clover, buttercups, celandines, bramble, bird’s-foot trefoil, cow parsley, white dead nettle, milkweed and poppies”
If you’re someone who loves bees, wants to help pollinators, or is just looking for an inspiring, feel-good read that actually makes you want to take action, I can’t recommend The Bee Bible enough.
It’s practical, uplifting, and made me feel empowered to make small changes that really matter.
The Yorkshire Post described it as “A beautiful gift… full of fascinating facts,” and I couldn’t agree more.
Who is Sally Coulthard?
Sally Coulthard is a British author and designer known for her engaging books on nature, rural life, history, and traditional crafts. With a background in archaeology and design, she has a talent for making complex subjects accessible and relatable. Her writing often blends practical knowledge with fascinating historical insights, appealing to readers who love the countryside and the natural world.
In addition to The Bee Bible, Sally Coulthard has written several other well-loved books, including The Hedgehog Handbook and A Short History of the World According to Sheep.
Her work beautifully celebrates the small wonders of rural life and the creatures and traditions that shape it.
Have you read The Bee Bible?
I’m curious – after reading The Bee Bible, what actions did you take, and what new knowledge stayed with you? Share your thoughts below!
