Tom Seeley

Thomas D. Seeley, biologist and writer, is a professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University. He teaches courses on animal behavior and does research on the behavior, social life, and ecology of honey bees. Tom is an avid beekeeper and began keeping bees while a high school student, when he shook a swarm into a box and brought it home.  His scientific work is summarized in four books:  Honeybee Ecology (1985), The Wisdom of the Hive (1995), Honeybee Democracy(2010), and Following the Wild Bees (2016). In recognition of his scientific contributions, he has been honored by an Alexander von Humboldt Distinguished U.S. Scientist Award, awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, and elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He writes:”These awards are gratifying, but for me the most important prizes by far are the discoveries that I have made about the inner workings of honey bee colonies.”