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Synopses & Reviews
A year in the life of New York City's premier beekeeper, who charmingly chronicles his adventures and the quirky personalities he encounters while spreading his infinite knowledge of and passion for the remarkable honey bee.
Considered an "industry legend" by The New York Times, Andrew Coté has one of the most intriguing, challenging, and unique jobs in New York City — maintaining millions of honey bees atop some of the city's most iconic buildings. His apiaries have crowned the Waldorf Astoria and the Museum of Modern Art; reside on the North Lawn of the United Nations; reign above stores, hotels, restaurants, schools, churches, and synagogues; and are situated in community gardens, and even cemeteries, throughout the five boroughs.
In this debut collection, Coté takes readers with him on his daily apiary adventures over the course of a year, in the city and across the globe. Here, among his many duties, he is called to capture swarms that have clustered on fire hydrants, air-conditioning units, or street-vendor umbrellas. Annually, he travels with his father to regions like remote Fijian islands, rural Uganda, Haiti, Ecuador, or Iraq with his organization, Bees Without Borders, where he teaches beekeepers how to increase their honey yield and income via beekeeping endeavors.
Written with Coté's trademark humor, acumen, and a healthy dose of charm, Honey and Venom illuminates the obscure culture of New York City "beeks" and the biology of the bees themselves, from the humble drone to the fittingly named worker to the queen herself — who is more a slave than a monarch. The hive world, Cot reveals, is full of strivers and slackers, givers and takers, and even some insect promiscuity — startlingly similar to the prickly human variety.
For Coté, a fourth-generation beekeeper, this is a family tradition, and this personal significance pervades his celebration of the romance and mystery of bees, their honey, and the beekeepers whose lives revolve around these most magical creatures.
Review
"A fourth-generation beekeeper, Coté writes with wit, insight, and great empathy for the imperiled honeybee. The seasonal rhythms of Coté's bees mirror and often juxtapose the frenzied chaos of the human world outside their hives. Full of strivers and slackers, givers and takers, Honey and Venom is a fascinating story of urban beekeeping, social climbing, and the enduring power of family." Mollie Katzen, author of Moosewood Cookbook
Review
"In Honey and Venom, the stories are more than just the amusing misadventures of an urban beekeeper--they are a richly layered intersection of beekeeping, art, history, and culture." Hilary Kearney, author of QueenSpotting and The Little Book of Bees
Review
"A fascinating story of Coté's real-life experiences with bees, full of unexpected plot swerves that take him all over New York City and around the world on bee-related adventures. I enjoyed this book enormously." Ian Frazier, author of Travels in Siberia
About the Author
Andrew Coté is New York City's most well-known beekeeper. A fourth-generation apiarist, he is founder of the New York City Beekeepers Association, executive director of the nonprofit Bees Without Borders, polyglot, Fulbright scholar, black belt in aikido, and former college professor. Coté and his bees have been featured on The Martha Stewart Show, CNN, CBS, Cake Boss, Dr. Oz, Nightline, Good Morning America, and Today, and in The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The New York Times, HuffPost, and many other news outlets around the world. Coté also runs Andrew's Honey out of the NYC Union Square Greenmarket.