Common Bees of Eastern North America - (Princeton Field Guides) by Olivia Messinger Carril & Joseph S Wilson (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Bees play an essential role in the pollination of native plants and agricultural crops across the globe. In North America alone there are more than 4,000 bee species. In spite of their abundance and diversity, there is no accessible field guide for the non-expert. This book will remedy that situation by providing a carefully crafted introduction to bee identification for eastern North America. No portable field guide could include coverage of the myriad species in the region, so the book concentrates on identifying bees at the genus level. It includes information on the 72 different genera that are found east of the Rockies"--

Book Synopsis

The only portable full-color photographic guide to the most commonly seen bees east of the Mississippi River

Bees play a vitally important role in the pollination of native plants and agricultural crops around the globe. Common Bees of Eastern North America is the first species-level photographic field guide to the most commonly seen bees in the eastern United States and Canada. Identifying bees to species is challenging even for taxonomists. This book walks you through the process of bee identification using breathtaking high-resolution color photos that highlight the unique characteristics of each species, making identification easier. Full of essential facts about the natural history of these magnificent creatures, this is the must-have field guide for naturalists and backyard gardeners alike.

• Covers 125 of the most commonly seen species in the eastern United States and Canada
• Features 500 stunning close-up photos in full color
• Shows multiple images for each species, with arrows highlighting key identifying marks
• Provides silhouette images depicting the actual size of each species
• Describes key identification features, size, phenology, floral preference, nesting, and related species
• Includes a range map for every species
• Contains a taxonomic key to the bee genera of the eastern United States and Canada

Review Quotes

"An excellent resource for learning about the bees in these areas."-- "Bees for Development Journal"

"I highly recommend this book. It may change your life in ways you never imagined possible."---David Gascoigne, Travels with Birds

"Winner of the Nature Guidebook Award, National Outdoor Book Awards"

About the Author

Olivia Messinger Carril is an independent scholar who has been studying bees for more than two decades. Joseph S. Wilson is associate professor of biology at Utah State University and an expert on the evolution and ecology of bees and wasps. They are the authors of The Bees in Your Backyard: A Guide to North America's Bees (Princeton).