The distance that bees fly for the sake of one kilogram of honey is three and a half times the length of the earth's circumference. It is not surprising that their performance has become a byword. However, the bee is not only a supplier of honey, but also an ancient messenger of culture. It has left its mark in religious rites, the Bible, the Koran, fairy tales, and many works of art. The cultural study of the Swiss philologist, poet and essayist Ralph Dutli is a real panegyric to the honeybirds, as the Baroque poets called the bees. The book contains a small anthology of poems dedicated to them as well.