City of Bees 2005
Distributed by Choices, Inc., 3740 Overland Ave., Ste. F, Los Angeles CA 90034; (310) 839-1500
Produced by Frejas Børn Film and Sound
Directed by Laila Hodell, Bertel Torne Olsen
DVD, color, 30 min.
K-6, Jr. High
Biology, Science
Date Entered: 09/11/2006
Reviewed by Buzz Haughton, Shields Library, University of California at DavisAn adult with two young assistants provide the monologue through this visually captivating and illuminating DVD about the lives of bees. The roles played by each of the individuals in this insect society are explored: queens, drones (the males, whose sole purpose is to fertilize the queen and then die) and worker bees. The life of the bee “city” is explained through the seasons.
In a way it’s a shame that this DVD is geared toward young viewers, because this adult reviewer learned a great deal about bees from watching; I think most of us would. I especially liked the summary of bee products, notably for propolis, which I did not know functions as an antiseptic in this tightly organized society that could be easily decimated by infectious disease. But the vocabulary and diction of the speakers are definitely pitched toward elementary and possibly junior high school students. I would rate this DVD as highly recommended for that audience level and recommended for high school through adult viewers.