*作者R.E.Snodgrass是美国最受尊重的昆虫学家之一，这本书是非常权威的作品

作者在书中不但详细的解释了成年蜜蜂的结构，同时也探讨了器官系统的胚胎发育、幼虫的解剖结构以及蛹的变态。作者更是特别关注了蜜蜂进食、飞行以及产卵的机制。每当需要解释结构时，作者也提供了行为注释。书中充满了插图，许多事作者自己清晰细致地画出。

好评：

“As a world authority on insect anatomy, Snodgrass has given us in this book a brilliant account of the anatomy of the honey bee and how it relates to the way that bees develop and how and why they function as they do in their interesting communal life. This book should be in the library of every student of the honey bee and bee behavior—beekeepers as well as scientists. The book is delightfully written and is enjoyable reading.” -- American Bee Journal

“This is not just a technical reference book on honey bee anatomy. It is far more: it is essentially a treatise on entomology using one species as an example, and including a discussion of the fundamentals of embryology, development, and metamorphosis as well as anatomy. The subject of each chapter is approached from the broadest evolutionary point of view, and its horizon includes all the arthropods and beyond, so that the bee really typifies animal life in general. Finally, the language of the book is such that it can be read straight through with pleasure. It is a delight to follow the author through this complete examination of one insect: how it develops, how it grows, and how it operates.” -- Entomological News

关于作者：

R. E. SNODGRASS was an entomologist and artist. He was a Professor of Entomology at Stanford University and, later, worked at the Bureau of Entomology, US Department of Agriculture.