Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland: (Bloomsbury Wildlife Guides)

Bees are a fascinating and indispensable group of insects, but many species are in decline, and efforts to help determine distributions and changes in abundance have to date been compromised by a serious lack of identification resources. This book is from author Steven Falk, who is a professional naturalist and conservationist with over forty years' experience of working with bees. It is a comprehensive introduction to bee classification, ecology, field techniques and recording, a full glossary, and information on how to separate the sexes and distinguish bees from other insects. Also included are introductions to families and genera, describing key characters and life histories, as well as detailed species descriptions covering field and microscopic characters, similar species, variants, flight season, habitat, flowers visited, nesting habits, status & distribution, and parasites & associates. A series of innovative illustrated keys to genera and species are designed to guide the user step by step through the identification process. The book is illustrated with over 1,000 colour and black and white artworks by Richard Lewington, one of Europe's leading insect artists. It also includes stunning photographs of living insects as seen in the wild and 234 up-to-date distribution maps. This eagerly anticipated new addition to the highly acclaimed British Wildlife Field Guides series will unravel the complexities of identification, and is designed to cater for people new to the bee world as well as to more experienced recorders who wish to identify every species accurately. It provides the latest information on the identification, ecology, status and distribution of all 275 species of bee in Britain, Ireland and the Channel Islands.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction What is a bee? Classification of bees At-a-glance guide to bee genera Species, races, forms and variations The life cycle of bees Enemies and associates of bees Habitats of bees Field techniques for finding and recording bees Conserving bees Societies and recording groups Bees beyond Britain and Ireland Further Reading How to Use this Guide Dichotomous keys Format of the species accounts The colour plates Male or female? Is it a bee? Bee anatomy Glossary Author's web feature Key to Bee Genera Family colletidae - Colletes – Plasterer bees - Hylaeus – Yellow-face bees Family andrenidae - Andrena – Mining bees - Panurgus – Shaggy bees Family halictidae - Halictus – End-banded furrow bees - Lasioglossum – Base-banded furrow bees - Sphecodes – Blood bees - Rophites – Bristle-headed bees - Dufourea – Short-faced bees Family melittidae - Melitta – Blunthorn bees - Macropis – Oil-collecting bees - Dasypoda – Pantaloon bees Family megachilidae - Anthidium – Wool carders - Stelis – Dark bees - Heriades – Resin bees - Chelostoma – Scissor bees - Osmia – Mason bees - Hoplitis – Lesser masons - Megachile – Leafcutter and mud bees - Coelioxys – Sharp-tail bees Family apidae - Nomada – Nomad bees - Epeolus – Variegated cuckoo bees - Eucera – Long-horned bees - Anthophora – Flower bees - Melecta – Mourning bees - Ceratina – Small carpenter bees - Xylocopa – Large carpenter bees - Bombus – Bumblebees - Apis – Honey bees Colour Plates Checklist of the bees of Britain and Ireland Index Photographic credits

About the Author :
Steven Falk is a professional naturalist and conservationist with a particular love for insects. He has worked for the former Nature Conservancy Council, two large museum services, and a wildlife trust. He has been involved with natural history books since his teens, contributing colour artwork to books such as British Hoverflies and the Collins Field Guide to Insects of Britain and Northern Europe. He has also written many scientific papers, popular articles and a county flora for Warwickshire. He currently works for Buglife. Over almost forty years, Richard Lewington has built up a reputation as one of Europe's finest wildlife illustrators. He first became interested in butterflies as a child when he inherited a cabinet of insects. He studied graphic design at the Berkshire College of Art, and since leaving in 1971 has specialised in natural-history illustration. His meticulous paintings of insects and other wildlife are the mainstay of many of the modern classics of field-guide art.

Review :
...Richard Lewington's delicate pictures are without equal, but with copious thumbnail diagrams, and close-up photos of body parts, this is also a detailed key work for the specialist wanting to learn more Bee identification just got a whole lot easier ... with Richard Lewington's stunning artwork and Steven Falk's accessible text and identification keys Comprehensive, well organised, easy to use, beautifully illustrated and packed with detail this is, quite simply, one of the best field guides I've had the pleasure of using