The Solitary Bees

Biology, Evolution, Conservation

Bryan N. Danforth, Robert L. Minckley, John L. Neff

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9780691168982
• eBook ISBN: 9780691189321
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Ecology
• Index: Biological Sciences

The most up-to-date and authoritative resource on the biology and evolution of solitary bees

While social bees such as honey bees and bumble bees are familiar to most people, they comprise less than 10 percent of all bee species in the world. The vast majority of bees lead solitary lives, surviving without the help of a hive and using their own resources to fend off danger and protect their offspring. This book draws on new research to provide a comprehensive and authoritative overview of solitary bee biology, offering an unparalleled look at these remarkable insects.

The Solitary Bees uses a modern phylogenetic framework to shed new light on the life histories and evolution of solitary bees. It explains the foraging behavior of solitary bees, their development, and competitive mating tactics. The book describes how they construct complex nests using an amazing variety of substrates and materials, and how solitary bees have co-opted beneficial mites, nematodes, and fungi to provide safe environments for their brood. It looks at how they have evolved intimate partnerships with flowering plants and examines their associations with predators, parasites, microbes, and other bees. This up-to-date synthesis of solitary bee biology is an essential resource for students and researchers, one that paves the way for future scholarship on the subject.

Beautifully illustrated throughout, The Solitary Bees also documents the critical role solitary bees play as crop pollinators, and raises awareness of the dire threats they face, from habitat loss and climate change to pesticides, pathogens, parasites, and invasive species.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
•   1.  Introduction
•   2.  Bee Phylogeny, Bee Diversity, and the Distinction between Solitary and Social Bees
•   3.  The Solitary Bee Life Cycle
•   4.  Alternative Male Mating Tactics: The Race to Be First and the Race to Be Last
•   5.  The Surprising Utility of Males
•   6.  Nest Architecture and Brood-Cell Construction
•   7.  The Tools of the Trade: Floral Rewards and How Bees Harvest Them
•   8.  Foraging and Provisioning Behavior
•   9.  The Microcosm of the Brood Cell: A Bestiary of In-Nest Mutualists
• 10.  Brood-Parasitic (Cuckoo) Bees
• 11.  Non-Bee Parasites and Predators
• 12.  Bees and Plants: Love Story, Arms Race, or Something in Between?
• 13.  Solitary Bees and Agricultural Pollination
• 14.  Threats to Solitary Bees and Their Biological Conservation
• 15.  Epilogue: The Scala Naturae
• Literature Cited
• Subject Index
• Taxonomic Index