Books on Bees - which one to get? - Page 2

mickmassie · #11 (**permalink**) 20-11-2009, 08:35 PM

Unless you just want bumblebees, get 'Bees of Surrey' by David Baldock. Don't be put off by the title because you live in Dorset. There is much more to bees than honeybees or bumblebees. M.

tigger · #12 (**permalink**) 21-11-2009, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eucera

I am (along with Mike Edwards) editing George's magnum opus and we are making good progress at bringing this huge project to an end (at LAST!).

The Introductory book by Chris O'Toole and Anthony Raw entitled "Bees of the World" is very good for showing what bees are all about. Please do not be put off by the picture of the FLY on the cover. This was selected by an airhead of an editor without reference to the authors!

Great news about George's book. Any idea when it will be published?

I've just finished reading "Bees of the World" (actually you lent it too me ages ago Eucera... and I've just finished it... I'll drop it back!). Great book. Really enjoyed it and learnt a lot from it. eg I didn't know that some sp of male solitary bees sleep together in communal roosts! Will have to get my own copy now for future reference...

I've got a copy of the old Edwards/Jenner book on Bumblebees. Is it worth me getting the new version? is there a lot more in the new one?

I was drooling over the "Bees of the World" by Michener but at £114 on Amazon I think that will have to wait!

Thanks for all your suggestions...

Jane

eucera · #13 (**permalink**) 21-11-2009, 10:45 AM

If you can cope with languages other than English... then the field opens up massively!

Dutch, German and Polish Books on bees are very helpful, as are the excellent Fauna Helvetica series from Switzerland (now covering all Swiss Bees). This latter book has keys and species accounts in German and French (not IOtalian or Romanche though). I also have a comprehensive Finnish bee book (in Finnish, but with brief English summaries) by Guy Soderman which is beautifully prepared.

Cheers, Stuart

tigger · #14 (**permalink**) 21-11-2009, 10:48 AM

I can only just cope with English

... let alone Dutch, German and Polish! So it depends if it's worth buying them just for the illustrations and photographs.

Thanks

Jane

ChrisR · #15 (**permalink**) 21-11-2009, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigger

I was drooling over the "Bees of the World" by Michener but at £114 on Amazon I think that will have to wait!

It's a really nice book - I borrowed one from a friend a few years ago when I had some gorgeous, large, metallic-green bees from French Guiana to identify. The keys worked very well and I got a species-level ID after a bit of hunting around for secondary keys