"The Hive recounts the astonishing tale of all the weird and wonderful things that humans believed about bees and their 'society' over the ages. It ranges form the honey delta of ancient Egypt to the Tupelo forests of modern Florida, taking in a cast of characters including Alexander the Great and Napoleon, Sherlock Holmes and Mohammed Ali. The Hive is also a history of ideas, taking us through the evolution of science, religion and politics, and a social history which explores the bee's impact on food and human ritual."--BOOK JACKET.