Natural History of Bumblebees - A Sourcebook for Investigations (Paperback)

Can insects be charming? Even people who generally dislike "bugs" make exceptions for bumblebees. Their bright colors and intriguing behaviors can engage the curiosity of anyone from schoolchildren to accomplished scientists. And because one can usually study their behaviors without the use of elaborate equipment, valuable information can still be discovered by the simple technique of observation. In "The Natural History of Bumblebees, " biologists Carol A. Kearns and James D. Thomson give amateurs and professionals alike the basic knowledge to pursue the joys of observing and investigating these attractive and amenable subjects.

Packed with information on bumblebee colonies, bee honeypots, bee development, foraging behavior, as well as instructions for maintaining bumblebees in captivity, this lively and colorful book also includes an easy-to-use photographic field guide to aid in the identification of over fifty species of North American bumblebee-virtually every known species on this continent. Until now, even the basic identification of North American bumblebees has been through the use of highly technical regional keys. "The Natural History of Bumblebees" fills a gap in the literature and provides amateur enthusiasts, educators, and scholars the information to develop their own projects in bumblebee biology.

Kearns and Thomson also provide detailed instructions for constructing simple equipment that facilitates bee wrangling: the handling, tagging, studying, and raising of bumblebees. They present suggestions for research projects and identify areas of incomplete knowledge requiring further research. This book is an invaluable reference for students and scholars of native pollinators and an indispensable resource for naturalists, gardeners, and anyone who has ever been fascinated by the flight of the bumblebee.