Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland

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.

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.

• PrefaceIntroductionWhat is a bee?Classification of beesAt-a-glance guide to bee generaSpecies, races, forms and variationsThe life cycle of beesEnemies and associates of beesHabitats of beesField techniques for finding and recording beesConserving beesSocieties and recording groupsBees beyond Britain and IrelandFurther ReadingHow to Use this GuideDichotomous keysFormat of the species accountsThe colour platesMale or female?Is it a bee?Bee anatomyGlossaryAuthor’s web featureKey to Bee GeneraFamily colletidae- Colletes – Plasterer bees- Hylaeus – Yellow-face beesFamily andrenidae- Andrena – Mining bees- Panurgus – Shaggy beesFamily halictidae- Halictus – End-banded furrow bees- Lasioglossum – Base-banded furrow bees- Sphecodes – Blood bees- Rophites – Bristle-headed bees- Dufourea – Short-faced beesFamily melittidae- Melitta – Blunthorn bees- Macropis – Oil-collecting bees- Dasypoda – Pantaloon beesFamily 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 beesFamily 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 beesColour PlatesChecklist of the bees of Britain and IrelandIndexPhotographic credits