Bumble Bees Of North America: An Identification Guide [Paperback]

More than ever before, there is widespread interest in studying bumble bees and the critical role they play in our ecosystems.Bumble Bees of North Americais the first comprehensive guide to North American bumble bees to be published in more than a century. Richly illustrated with color photographs, diagrams, range maps, and graphs of seasonal activity patterns, this guide allows amateur and professional naturalists to identify all 46 bumble bee species found north of Mexico and to understand their ecology and changing geographic distributions.

The book draws on the latest molecular research, shows the enormous color variation within species, and guides readers through the many confusing convergences between species. It draws on a large repository of data from museum collections and presents state-of-the-art results on evolutionary relationships, distributions, and ecological roles. Illustrated keys allow identification of color morphs and social castes.

A landmark publication,Bumble Bees of North Americasets the standard for guides and the study of these important insects.

• The best guide yet to the 46 recognized bumble bee species in North America north of Mexico
• Up-to-date taxonomy includes previously unpublished results
• Detailed distribution maps
• Extensive keys identify the many color patterns of species

"Winner of a 2015 Outstanding Reference Sources Award, Reference and User Services Association, American Library Association"Paul H. Williamsis a research entomologist at the Natural History Museum in London.Robbin W. Thorpis professor emeritus of entomology at the University of California, Davis.Leif L. Richardsonis a doctoral candidate in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Dartmouth College.Sheila R. Collais an NSERC postdoctoral fellow and project leader at Wildlife Preservation Canada. A very helpful guide for any one intlƒE