a book of bees by Sue Hubbell

Page one begins:

For a long, long time - for nearly forty years - I never had any bees. I can't think why. Everyone should have two or three hives of bees. Bees are easier to keep than a dog or cat. They are more interesting than gerbils. They can be kept anywhere. A well-known New York City publisher keeps bees on the terrace of his Upper East Side penthouse, where they happily work the flowers in Central Park.