Customer Reviews

The Bees of the World

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Anybody with a serious interest in bees -- and by that I don't mean just honey bees and beekeeping, but the thousands of other species that provide the fundamental service of pollination in both natural and agricultural ecosystems -- must seriously consider getting this book. It will be an invaluable resource for both those studying insects and those studying plants, for plant conservation is intimately wrapped up with the survival of their pollinators.

This is a magnum opus in both senses of the word. It is a big book, with over 900 pages, containing a wealth of information on bees. It is also a product of over half a century's research and learning by the world's foremost authority on bees, Charles Michener. His efforts, and those of the subsequent generations of researchers spawned from his lab at the University of Kansas, have been the foundation of our current state of bee knowledge.

At first glance, the book might appear intimidating: a heavy tome printed in a small font size, with black-and-white diagrams. The only respite seems to be a series of gorgeous color plates featuring the amazing photos of Edward S. Ross and Paul Westrich. A few minutes with it will quickly show you that it is a rich source of accurate information, and despite its technical content, well written and readable.

Broken into a series of sections, it provides complete coverage of bees and their biology. The first is a general discussion of bee biology (nesting, floral relationships, parasites, sociality, etc.); the second, explains the structure of bees and their origins; the third, bee taxonomy; and the fourth, (the bulk of the book) contains keys to identify bees and chapters on each family or subfamily with notes on each genera (distribution, floral preference, if any, etc.). This is accompanied by an extensive bibliography and reference list. This book will not only help you understand the ecological requirements of bees but also enable you to identify them to sub-genus level.

The price might deter you; it certainly gave me pause for thought. Having finally taken the plunge and purchased a copy I have no qualms at all about the expense. This is an astonishing work of scholarship. To have so much information gathered into one volume is invaluable. This is likely to remain the standard work of reference for many years.

Matthew Shepherd
Pollinator Program Director, The Xerces Society

First off, I want to make clear what exactly this book is and who should use it. This book is a massive overview of the collective knowledge of bees (as in the ~20,000 described species, not just the honey bee). It is a very scientific work and provides succinct overviews of the different types of bees down to the level of genera. It then points the reader to a number of references that allow further exploration.

This book WILL NOT allow you to identify bees unless you are already an expert. If you are an amateur looking to get into identification, use Discover Life and Bugguide.

The first 130 pages are an in-depth discussion of the biology, behavior, systematics, and history of bees. I know of no other resource that contains so much high-quality comprehensive information crammed into one space. The rest of the book consists of blurbs for the manifold bee families, subfamilies, tribes, and genera. These are chalk full of references to in-depth scientific resources. When you want to know everything there is to know about a certain group, this is the place to start.

It is mind-boggling that one man would have the necessary organization and mental capacity to compile such an exhaustive work. This book belongs on the shelf of every serious bee researcher (or on their hard-drive, as I hear there is an electronic copy floating somewhere).

Yes, seems to me it's gone up in price since I bought mine. That's the trend with some of these well-produced academic type references that also appeal to wider public. Unfortunately,if you're interested in the natural history of these animals, you'll have to get it.

I purchased this massive book to help identify the many wild bees which are present in my area. However, although I am an entomologist, but not a taxonomist, I found it too difficult to use easily. It is not for use unless you are studying a dead specimen. I like to photograph insects and determine their species or family. This book will not easily enable you to do this. Another drawback is the lack of colored illustrations.

If you work on bees, you will need to get a copy of Mich's Bees of the World. There is no way around it.

Some 16,000 bee species are placed to genus, and the indentification guides (keys and illustrations) are the best yet.

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We really weren't as thrilled about this book as we thought we would. Wouldn't spend that kind of money on this book if we had previewed it first.