Field guide to the common bees of California : including bees of the Western United States / text by Gretchen LeBuhn ; illustrations by Noel B. Pugh.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

LeBuhn, Gretchen, 1961-

Series:

California Natural History Guides ; 107

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bees--California--Identification.

Bees.

Bees--West (U.S.)--Identification.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (190 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, 2013.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This engaging and easy-to-use natural history guidebook provides a thorough overview of native and honey bee biology and offers tools for identifying the most common bees of California and the Western United States. Full-color illustrations introduce readers to more than 30 genera of native bees, noting each one's needs and habits and placing them in their wider context. The author highlights bees' ties to our own lives, the food we eat, and the habitat we provide, and suggests ways to support bees in our own backyards. In addition to helping readers understand and distinguish among major groups of bees, this guide reveals how bees are an essential part of healthy ecosystem and how many plants, including important crop plants, depend on the pollination they provide. As growing evidence points to declining bee populations, this book offers critical information about the bond between plants and pollinators, and between humans and nature. Thoroughly researched and full of new insights into the ancient process of pollination, Field Guide to the Common Bees of California; Including Bees of the Western United States is invaluable for the window it opens onto the biodiversity, adaptive range, and complexity of invertebrate communities.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

PREFACE

AN INTRODUCTION TO BEES

BEE FAMILY AND GENUS ACCOUNTS

APPENDIX 1. BEE FAMILIES AND GENERA FOUND IN CALIFORNIA

APPENDIX 2. KEY TO FEMALES OF GENERA INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK

GLOSSARY

RESOURCES

INDEX

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR

California Natural History Guides

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

9780520272835

0520272838

9780520956889

0520956885

OCLC:

852656400