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The Solitary Bees

Biology, Evolution, Conservation

Format: Hardback
Publisher: Princeton University Press, New Jersey, United States
Published: 27th Aug 2019
Dimensions: w 186mm h 256mm d 38mm
Weight: 1250g
ISBN-10: 0691168989
ISBN-13: 9780691168982
Barcode No: 9780691168982
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Synopsis
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.

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What Reviewers Are Saying

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Sep 15th 2019, 10:25
The solitary bee book we've been waiting for!
Awesome - 10 out of 10
As the blurb claims this is THE up-to-date and in depth review of solitary bees worldwide. Up until now the (very) few solitary bee specific books have been available, and those that were available mainly cited information and research from pre 2000. This book admirably rectifies this and presents research up to 2018 including the latest phylogeny and evolutionary status of solitary bees. Alongside this it covers almost everything you want to know about solitary bees, behaviour, biology and natural history. Reading it builds upon and consolidates info gleaned from various other older sources and publications. Alongside offering fascinating and in depth insight into solitary bees it expresses how far research has moved forward in recent years. It is written in a very accessible manner that should appeal to anyone interested in solitary bees, pollinators or invertebrates at any level. The use of box sections to explain terms etc outside the main text is brilliant for those less familiar with solitary bees and the introductory explanation of what phylogeny means is the best I have read.
The book is also well illustrated, nicely laid out and very reasonably priced. If you are interested in entomology or natural history in any way at all please buy this book, it is a brilliant introduction to these most fascinating (and some claim most important) 'small things that run the world'.
Newspapers & Magazines
"Winner of the PROSE Award in Single Volume Reference/Biological Science, Association of American Publishers" "This is a brilliant, important and useful new text." * Bees for Development * "In the many vignettes and case studies throughout the text, the wonders of solitary bees are revealed. . . . I expect to return to this book to learn more about the truly incredible world of bees for a long time to come."---Stephen Fleming, Bee Craft "This book . . . is an extremely thorough reference work that should amply imform the serious researcher about a specific topic being explored. However, it is also a highly entertaining and enlightening tome for the curious naturalist, allowing one to dip in and out at any point in the chapters lured by imaginative titling, and come away feeling enthralled and educated in the most beguiling manner."---Adrian Knowles, British Journal of Entomology and Natural History "A wonderful book full of extraordinary information and research." * An Beachaire * "This book is a comprehensive most up-to-date resource on the biology and evolution of solitary bees. . . . People reading this book will likely further educate their friends, children or colleagues by sharing stories about the interesting natural history of solitary bees they learnt by reading across this book. By doing this, an increasing numberof people will ultimately contribute to protect nature and biodiversity."---Alexandra-Maria Klein, Basic and Applied Ecology "For us, this book reinvigorated the pleasure of discovery, natural history and love for nature."---James D. Crall and Ignasi Bartomeus, Evolution "There is something astonishing on every page."---Richard Jones, Discover Wildlife "The Solitary Bees is an excellent book that gives an up-to-date overview of this amazing group of insects. It presents the newest knowledge on modern phylogeny and evolution, as well as on the biology and life cycle (including mating, nest architecture, foraging, and provisioning behavior) of solitary wild bees." * Conservation Biology *