Native Bees of Australia: A comprehensive guide by Bernhard Jacobi

With a warm climate, dry soil and an abundance of flowers, Australia is such a perfect place for bees that it has become a biodiversity hot-spot for this insect family. More than 2,000 of the world’s 20,000 bee species are found there, with many of these being endemic and occurring nowhere else. This total is growing all the time since scores of Australian bee species are not yet scientifically named and more are likely to be discovered in future. This remarkable book will be the most comprehensive volume available on the subject. Within the five Australian bee families – Colletidae, Stenotritidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae and Apidae – it covers every one of the more than 120 genera, and almost all of the subgenera. Using concise but detailed text and stunning macro photographs it showcases at least one species from each subgenus, covering 280 species in total. The introduction encompasses two indispensable topics: 1. How to tell apart a bee from other types of insects (wasps, flies, beetles and so on), which can be tricky in some cases; and 2. Naming and illustrating all the body parts referred to later in the book. Most of the book is taken up with highly illustrated accounts explaining how to identify each bee family and subfamily and many individual species. The book stands out from others on the subject due to the number of species illustrated, covering twice as many as its nearest competitor, and also by the type and quality of the illustrations (99 per cent show macro photos of bees undisturbed and unharmed in their natural habitat, with date and location details provided). All the latest publications, descriptions and reviews are taken into account, making this a must-have book for all entomologists and naturalists.