Patch the Solitary Bee
Patch the Solitary Bee

Author: Ashley Coates

Publisher: Great Spotted Books

Published: 2021-07

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13: 9781914512001

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Did you know most bees do not live in hives and are known as solitary bees? Some make homes in the ground while others prefer holes in rocks and wood. Join Patch as she tries to find out what kind of insect she is and learn a bit about solitary bees along the way. Around 90 per cent of all bee species are solitary bees and do not live in hives. They come in a remarkable number of shapes and sizes, including the world's smallest and the world's biggest bees. Their habitats have been reduced due to human activity but as some of the world's most effective pollinators, we need them far more than they need us. This book also contains a guide to some of the world's solitary bees and how you can help to look after them at home. This book was launched in the summer of 2021 to coincide with Solitary Bee Week. The week is an initiative run by University of Exeter's Environment and Sustainability Institute and Cornish product designers, Green&Blue to raise awareness of these wonderful little animals. It contains 17 original illustrations by Kentucky-based illustrator, K J Khan.

The Solitary Bees
The Solitary Bees

Author: Bryan N. Danforth

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2019-08-27

Total Pages: 486

ISBN-13: 0691189323

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The most up-to-date and authoritative resource on the biology and evolution of solitary bees While social bees such as honey bees and bumble bees are familiar to most people, they comprise less than 10 percent of all bee species in the world. The vast majority of bees lead solitary lives, surviving without the help of a hive and using their own resources to fend off danger and protect their offspring. This book draws on new research to provide a comprehensive and authoritative overview of solitary bee biology, offering an unparalleled look at these remarkable insects. The Solitary Bees uses a modern phylogenetic framework to shed new light on the life histories and evolution of solitary bees. It explains the foraging behavior of solitary bees, their development, and competitive mating tactics. The book describes how they construct complex nests using an amazing variety of substrates and materials, and how solitary bees have co-opted beneficial mites, nematodes, and fungi to provide safe environments for their brood. It looks at how they have evolved intimate partnerships with flowering plants and examines their associations with predators, parasites, microbes, and other bees. This up-to-date synthesis of solitary bee biology is an essential resource for students and researchers, one that paves the way for future scholarship on the subject. Beautifully illustrated throughout, The Solitary Bees also documents the critical role solitary bees play as crop pollinators, and raises awareness of the dire threats they face, from habitat loss and climate change to pesticides, pathogens, parasites, and invasive species.

Managing Alternative Pollinators
Managing Alternative Pollinators

Author: Eric Mader

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 9781933395203

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"Examines the history of the British fire service from 1800-1980, embracing certain key themes of modern British history: the impact of industrial change on urban development, the effect of disaster on political reform, the growth of the state, and the relationship between masculinity and trade unionism in creating a professional identity"--Provided by publisher.

The Humane Gardener
The Humane Gardener

Author: Nancy Lawson

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Published: 2017-04-18

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1616896175

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In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces. Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.

Mason Bee Revolution
Mason Bee Revolution

Author: Dave Hunter

Publisher: Mountaineers Books

Published: 2016-03-22

Total Pages: 371

ISBN-13: 1594859647

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• Author Dave Hunter is at the leading edge of bee and pollinator issues • Mason bees are part of the solution to honeybees’ decline • No other bee book addresses the topic with such depth and interest • Includes useful information about leafcutter bees too! The national media regularly features dire stories on honeybee colony collapse and its danger to our food supply. But there's another, unsung bee that has the potential to save the planet—the mason bee. Mason Bee Revolution explains how docile, hard-working, solitary mason bees (and their compatriots, the leafcutter bees) are even more productive pollinators than honeybees, and keeping them can be a fun, easy, backyard hobby for gardeners, conservationists, foodies, and families everywhere. Why these bees? Bee pollination is critical for about 80 percent of US agricultural crops, increasing crop value by an estimated $15 billion annually. Since 2006, nearly a third of all honeybee hives have been lost each year, due to parasites, pesticides, habitat loss, climate change, and a newer malady called Colony Collapse Disorder. While scientists search for answers to save the honeybee, Dave Hunter and his company, Crown Bees, are leading the effort to increase the population of other highly efficient pollinators: One mason bee can produce twelve pounds of cherries, via pollination, where it would take sixty honey bees to achieve the same. Mason Bee Revolution is an easy-to-follow guide to keeping both mason and leafcutter bees. It tells you how to set up, care for, and harvest your own bees and what types of plants and habitat encourage mason and leafcutter bees, as well as provides general information on other common pollinators and bee-related facts, projects, and personalities.

Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland
Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland

Author: Steven Falk

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2019-09-19

Total Pages: 935

ISBN-13: 1472970373

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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.

Solitary bees
Solitary bees

Author: Ted Benton

Publisher: Pelagic Publishing Ltd

Published: 2017-03-08

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 178427089X

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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.

The Solitary Bees
The Solitary Bees

Author: Bryan N. Danforth

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2019-08-27

Total Pages: 486

ISBN-13: 0691168989

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The most up-to-date and authoritative resource on the biology and evolution of solitary bees which draws on new research to provide a comprehensive and authoritative overview of solitary bee biology, offering an unparalleled look at these remarkable insects.

Bee Basics
Bee Basics

Author: Stephen Buchmann

Publisher: Government Printing Office

Published: 2015-09-16

Total Pages: 48

ISBN-13: 9780160929854

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Native bees are a hidden treasure. From alpine meadows in the national forests of the Rocky Mountains to the Sonoran Desert in the Coronado National Forest in Arizona and from the boreal forests of the Tongass National Forest in Alaska to the Ocala National Forest in Florida, bees can be found anywhere in North America, where flowers bloom. From forests to farms, from cities to wildlands, there are 4,000 native bee species in the United States, from the tiny Perdita minima to large carpenter bees. This illustrated and colorful pamphlet provides valued information about native bees --over 4,000 in population --varying in a wide array of sizes, shapes, and colors. They are also different in their life styles, the places they frequent, the nests they build, the flowers they visit, and their season of activity. Yet, they all provide an invaluable ecosystem service - pollination -to 80 percent of flowering plants. Blueberry bees, bumble bees, yellow jacket bees, carpenter bees, and more are explored, including the differences in their gender, nests, and geographical regions that they visit.

The Bees in Your Backyard
The Bees in Your Backyard

Author: Joseph S. Wilson

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2015-11-24

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 0691160775

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An introduction to the roughly 4000 different bee species found in the United States and Canada, dispelling common myths about bees while offering essential tips for telling them apart in the field