In Britain and Ireland there are about ten times more species of solitary bee than bumblebee and honeybee combined, yet the solitary bees tend to be ignored and we know much less about them. They are a fascinating, attractive and diverse group that can be found easily in a wide range of habitats, both urban and rural, and they are important as pollinators. Solitary bees provides an introduction to the natural history, ecology and conservation of solitary bees, together with an easy-to-use key to genera. Chapters cover: Diversity and recognition; Bee lives; Cuckoos in the nest; Bees and flowers; The conservation of solitary bees; Approaches to practical work; Keys to the genera of bees of the British Isles - Females and Males; and References and further reading.
Les mer
In Britain and Ireland there are about ten times more species of solitary bee than bumblebee and honeybee combined. They are a fascinating, attractive and diverse group that can be found easily in a wide range of habitats, both urban and rural, and they are important as pollinators.
Les mer
1 Introduction 2 Diversity and recognition 3 Bee lives 4 Cuckoos in the nest 5 Bees and flowers 6 The conservation of solitary bees 7 Approaches to practical work 8 Keys to the genera of bees of the British Isles 9 References and further reading Index
Les mer
... a highly accessible introduction to the natural history, ecology and conservation of the solitary bees.
Already well known for his comprehensive and highly acclaimed book on our bumblebees, Ted Benton has now turned his attention their solitary cousins – insects that we see all around us without knowing much about them or even knowing what they are. We have over 200 species in Britain and Ted’s detailed descriptions of many of the commoner species and their diverse life styles and habitats will surely open up a whole new world of natural history and make the reader much more aware of these fascinating and extremely useful insects. Excellent photographs, mostly taken by the author himself, combine with the descriptions to make a very attractive and readable book, while comprehensive keys to all our bee genera make it a useful research tool for professionals and students alike – a good starting point for more in-depth studies.
Les mer
Already well known for his comprehensive and highly acclaimed book on our bumblebees, Ted Benton has now turned his attention their solitary cousins - insects that we see all around us without knowing much about them or even knowing what they are. We have over 200 species in Britain and Ted's detailed descriptions of many of the commoner species and their diverse life styles and habitats will surely open up a whole new world of natural history and make the reader much more aware of these fascinating and extremely useful insects. Excellent photographs, mostly taken by the author himself, combine with the descriptions to make a very attractive and readable book, while comprehensive keys to all our bee genera make it a useful research tool for professionals and students alike - a good starting point for more in-depth studies. -- Michael Chinery
Les mer
In Britain and Ireland there are about ten times more species of solitary bee than bumblebee and honeybee combined, yet the solitary bees tend to be ignored and we know much less about them. However, they are a fascinating, attractive and diverse group that can be found easily in a wide range of habitats, both urban and rural, and they are important as pollinators. They are easy to study and are certainly no less interesting than bumblebees and honeybees. The main reason for the lack of awareness of solitary bees is probably that for over 100 years and until very recently there was no easily available guide to all the species. The publication in 2015 of a Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland by Falk and Lewington at last allowed anyone with an interest to make reliable identifications of solitary bees. However, identification of species can be daunting to the beginner. This Naturalist’s Handbook provides an introduction to the natural history, ecology and conservation of solitary bees, together with an easy-to-use key to genera, which can act as a stepping-stone to the use of a comprehensive key to species. I hope that this book will encourage more people to study solitary bees. The more they are studied, the more we shall know about them and the better we shall be able to conserve them for the future. Surprisingly, ex-industrial brown-field sites can provide some of the best nesting sites for solitary bees, which means that solitary bees can be studied and protected, even in the centre of cities. This Naturalist’s Handbook on solitary bees is a very welcome addition to the series, complementing the existing titles on bumblebees (no. 6), solitary wasps (no. 3) and ants (no. 24). William D.J. Kirk, July 2016
Les mer

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781784270889
Publisert
2017-03-01
Utgiver
Vendor
Pelagic Publishing
Vekt
305 gr
Høyde
210 mm
Bredde
148 mm
Aldersnivå
UU, UP, P, 05, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
208

Forfatter

Biographical note

Ted Benton is emeritus professor of sociology at University of Essex, where he has pioneered the integration of ecological understanding with social theory. He has been an active field naturalist since childhood, and is author or co-author of eight books on entomological topics, in addition to his academic publications and a recent book on Alfred Russel Wallace. His two books in the New Naturalist series (Bumblebees (2006) and Grasshoppers and Crickets (2012)) have both been highly praised. He is hon. President of Colchester Natural History Society, a founder member of the Red-Green Study Group and is involved in environmental campaigning.