Exploring the World of Bees - Softcover

Read, Tracy C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1554079551 ISBN 13: 9781554079551

Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd, 2012

Synopsis

We watch bees buzzing from plant to plant in our gardens, yet apart from worrying about being stung, many of us don't give them another thought. But who are these flying insects, and what exactly are they doing in our backyards? Exploring the World of Bees covers the differences in the social lives of bees and how they organize their families, their homes and their work. Young readers can learn that different bees have developed special physical adaptations - from a body size so small they can't be seen in flight and keen vision to extra-long nectar-lapping tongues and convenient leg packs for carrying pollen. They'll also discover more about the many ways in which humans depend on bees, even while our activities increasingly put these precious pollinators at risk.

About this title

Review

It is only correct to comment on the extraordinarily high quality of the photographs throughout and the great skill employed by the many photographers... This book will appeal to general naturalists and wildlife photographers as well as bee specialists and all-round entomologists too. It is a very worthy successor to Bees of the World by the same author. Its arrival on the bookshelves in time for Christmas is clearly no accident, and I am sure many people will want this colourful and informative introductory book in their Christmas stockings.--Stuart Roberts"Bees, Wasps and Ants Society" (11/01/2013)

O'Toole, an entomologist and bee expert, introduces readers to a sample of the world's 20,000 bee species in this beautiful new book... The strength of the book is in its introduction of the rest of the kinds of bees. We learn of mason bees, euglossine bees, carpenter bees, and sweat bees. The lifestyle of the solitary bees, in which a female provides food for her developing offspring but does not directly care for them, is contrasted with the various stages of sociality in different species. The important role bees play in pollinating flowers--estimates are that one-third of human food depends on bee pollination--is illustrated both in the text and the accompanying photographs. The illustrations alone sell the book, with marvelous close-ups of a bee's compound eyes and pollen-covered bees in flowers. The many appendixes and a large bibliography make this an informative introduction.--Nancy Bent"Booklist" (12/01/2013)

Chris O'Toole, in conjunction with Tony Raw, wrote Bees of the World, which has become a seminal volume: this new book will rightfully take its place beside it on the bookshelf. ... It is (O'Toole's) writing style that makes him stand out. As an internation--Richard Jones"Bee World International" (01/01/2014)

I will never be able to look at a bee the same again! What an amazing book with 240 pages that draw the reader in! This oversize book (the better to see the photos) is a wealth of information concerning bees and their contribution to our world... Way too--Diana Wiig"NSTA Recommends" (01/07/2014)

This superbly illustrated volume ... plunges the reader into the world of a group of insects whose diversity and behaviors is an eloquent testimony to the precision of natural selection--Gustavo Sancher Romero"Entomology Association of Spain" (05/08/2014)

About the Author

Tracy C. Read is an editor and writer who has a special interest in nature and the environment.

About this edition

• Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1554079551
• ISBN 13: 9781554079551
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 24