This magnificent creature has made lasting impressions on some of the greatest minds in time, from Aristotle's ancient Greece, to Virgil's Roman poetry, to Maeterlinck's artistic admiration at the turn of the century, to modern scientific understanding. Take an anthropomorphic journey that follows the footsteps of many so moved through history. Walk through time as the human mind tries to unravel the mysteries and truths not just about honeybees but ourselves. The honeybee has remained constant, an unwavering muse against a changing man. Building on the personal encounters of the author and his apiary guests, this book explores our human relationship with these enigmatic creatures. From altruism to eugenics, from power to gender politics, from the natural world to industry, we find our own human obsessions, revealed in startling complexity and sophistication. Peek into a hive and you learn step by step a new way to experience the mysteries inside.