If you are a beginning Bee Watcher interested in learning more about bees, I recommend Bees of the World by Christopher O'Toole and Anthony Raw. The authors cover all types of bees (miners, masons, leaf-cutters, carpenters, etc.) as well as discuss social and solitary behaviors, the relationship between pollination and bees, bee biology, etc. I think this is a good introductory book for all Bee Watchers–even though some editions have a photo of a FLY on the front cover.
Don't confuse the O'Toole book with The Bees of the World by Charles D. Michener. Michener's book is the standard reference work for bee scientists and very interested Bee Watchers. It covers bee biology, bee morphology, bee taxonomy, and contains keys for identifying bees to genera.
However, it is not a book for the casual Bee Watcher. It has only a few photos of bees. Use of the keys requires an understanding and familiarity of bee body parts and terms. You need to catch and kill a bee to use the keys. And a good microscope is certainly required for identifications.
My first exposure to The Bees of the World by Charles D. Michener was in the Reference section of the Austin Public Library. For this book, I would suggest that you start at your local library as well. It's a great book, but it is technical, a bit intimidating, and costly.
Field guides with photos for regular Bee Watchers are on their way soon, but, until then, one of these books might be able to provide you with good, solid information on bees.
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