The Ultimate Resource for the Beetle Enthusiast: Beetles fascinate hobbyists with their vivid colors and patterns, strange forms, and unusual behaviors. Some species are well-known to beetle breeders, but there are many others that have yet to be kept or bred by more than a handful of dedicated enthusiasts. Orin McMonigle provides detailed husbandry and breeding guides for a wide range of species, from the popular rhinoceros and stag beetles to darkling, diving, and dung beetles. This book is the result of years of experience and experimentation, with unprecedented details in caging, feeding, and environmental requirements for all stages of the beetles' lives. The breeding guides offer the best chance to form healthy ongoing colonies of these incredible creatures. This is the ultimate beetle book for hobbyists, breeders, nature museums, and insect zoos. Welcome to the world of beetles

From the jungles of South America to the deserts of Arizona, one thing remains consistent: bees are disappearing. A world without bees would be much less colourful, with fewer flowers. But that's not all-bees are responsible for up to one-third of our food supply, and the consequences of not taking action to protect them are frightening. While the media focuses on colony-collapse disorder and the threats to honey bees specifically, the real danger is much greater: all bees are at risk, whether it be from loss of habitat, pesticide use or disease, among other factors. And because of the integral role these insects play in the ecology of our planet, we may be at risk as well.

In Keeping the Bees, Laurence Packer, a melittologist whose life revolves around bees, debunks many myths about these creatures and takes us behind the scenes with scientists around the world who are working to save these fascinating creatures before it's too late.

This Naturalists' Handbook aims to attract more people to the study of solitary wasps by describing the ecology, distribution and natural history of these insects, including all relevant research in one convenient volume. Contents include an overview of the natural history of the solitary wasp, guidelines on identification, and advice on techniques and approaches to study. Further reading, a systematic checklist of genera and an alphabetical checklist of species and their distributions are included. Detailed keys to the identification of the species form the centre of the book and the text is accompanied by clear illustrations throughout, making this an invaluable practical guide for anyone seeking to broaden their knowledge of these fascinating, diverse creatures. Smaller, gentler and less intimidating than the black and yellow social wasps, the solitary wasps are attractive because of their bright colours and their fascinating behaviour. A female wasp will construct a nest, excavating it from wood or sand or building it from mud. She provisions the nest with prey, hunting down a suitable creature, perhaps a caterpillar or a fly, which she will paralyse before dragging it home to the nest. She lays her egg on the paralysed prey, and the larva when it hatches feeds on the prey. On a sunny day it is easy to observe the apparently purposeful behaviour of female wasps as they prepare their nests and stock them with food for the next generation. This book is a digital reprint of ISBN 0-85546-295-7 (1995). Naturalists' Handbooks encourage and enable those interested in natural history to undertake field study, make accurate identifications and to make original contributions to research.

Classified into more than 45 families, this guide describes the fascinating spiders and other arachnids of Texas. You'll find all the facts for spiders most commonly encountered, spiders with potentially hazardous venom, unusual spiders, and large conspicious spiders. Other Texas arachnids, such as harvestmen, ticks, scorpions, whipscorpions, windscorpions, and pseudoscorpions, are also described

Meet the wild world of common Texas insects with this colorful and thorough introduction. Now you can identify that critter that just crawled under your bed or landed in your backyard. This extensive guide is packed with 384 color photos, thousands of facts and figures, and dozens of illustrations.

This history of British butterflies is combined with a history of their collectors, without whose activities our knowledge of the identification, occurrence, distribution and variation would be much poorer. Liberally laced with contemporary quotations, and containing brief biographies and photographic portraits of about 100 early lepidopterists and their equipment, the volume presents 200 years of butterfly study, including the work of members of the Aurelian Society, founded in the early-18th century. Appendixes provide lists of the entomological societies, journals and transactions, and the collectors themselves, together with a check list of the British and Irish butterflies.

A BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED LOOK AT THE LIVES AND MIND-BOGGLING BEHAVIOURS OF INSECTS How to Read an Insect takes you on an unforgettable tour of the insect world, presenting these amazing creatures as you have never seen them before. This stunningly illustrated guide puts a wealth of fascinating behaviours under the microscope - from elegant displays of courtship to brutal acts of predation. Along the way, Ross Piper charts the evolution of insects and reveals everything you need to know about how they nest, feed, reproduce and defend themselves. He concludes by discussing the impact of the human world on insects, and what we can do to prevent their decline in numbers. * Explores the remarkable lifestyles of exotic insects as well as those in your own garden. * Includes highlights from a wide range of new insect behaviour studies. * Features a wealth of breathtaking colour photos, illustrations, and graphics.

A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings begins as Helen Jukes is entering her thirties and struggling to settle into her new job and home. Then friends gift her a colony of honeybees-a gift that, according to folklore, brings good luck-and Jukes embarks on the rewarding, perilous journey of becoming a beekeeper. Jukes writes about what it means to "keep" wild creatures and to live alongside beings whose laws of life are so different from our own. She delves into the history of beekeeping, exploring the ancient-and sometimes disturbing-relationship between keeper and bee, human and wild thing. And as her colony grows, the very act of beekeeping seems to open new perspectives, making her world come alive again. A beautifully wrought meditation on uncertainty and hope, feelings of restlessness and home, and how we might better know ourselves, A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings shows us how to be alert to these small creatures flitting among us that are yet so vital a force for the continuation of life.

This is the ideal guide for anyone wanting to start beekeeping and a revered reference book for experienced beekeepers. It includes information on all you need to know, including how to avoid swarms, plan requeening, or provide the colony with winter stores. It features key information on Varroa. It is copiously illustrated throughout. Fully revised and updated, this new edition of "Guide to Bees and Honey" also presents expert advice for readers who plan to maintain a few hives for personal recreational use, as well as those who want to expand an existing colony into a commercial venture.

A complete beginner's guide to British moths. Moths are sometimes overlooked compared to the day-flying butterflies, however, many moths are even more colourful, accessible and fascinating. Britain and Ireland are home to an incredible array of moths, with more than 2,500 species known, and increasing numbers of people have discovered the joy in watching, catching and photographing this diverse group. But, where should you start in being able to identify them? British Moths: A Gateway Guide is a wonderful introduction to 350 species of the most common and eye-catching adult moths that you may encounter in the UK. Rather than being grouped in taxonomic order, species are organised by season, and similar-looking moths are placed alongside one another for ease of identification. Concise species accounts include information on key features, making it easy to distinguish between confusion species, seasonality, and when and where to see them; each account is also placed alongside photos that have been carefully chosen to aid identification with clearly-marked top tips. From the author of Much Ado About Mothing, this is the perfect companion for anyone wanting to learn more about these beautiful and remarkable creatures - from hawk-moths to tigers and ermines to emeralds.

The perfect book for any gardener looking to get back in touch with their wild side.

The rewilding of public spaces and farmland is vitally important to conservation, but how can we support native species and provide rich habitats on our own doorsteps?

In this practical, beautifully illustrated guide horticulturalist and Gardener's World presenter Frances Tophill shows you how to plan and maintain a beautiful garden that will attract bees and birds as well as a throng of unsung garden heroes. Whether you have a small balcony or a large open space, discover the joys of welcoming natural ecosystems back into your garden - along with a host of new visitors.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE A naturalist's passionate dive into the lives of bees (of all stripes)-and the natural world in her own backyard Brigit Strawbridge Howard was shocked the day she realised she knew more about the French Revolution than she did about her native trees. And birds. And wildflowers. And bees. The thought stopped her-quite literally-in her tracks. But that day was also the start of a journey, one filled with silver birches and hairy-footed flower bees, skylarks, and rosebay willow herb, and the joy that comes with deepening one's relationship with place. Dancing with Bees is Strawbridge Howard's charming and eloquent account of a return to noticing, to rediscovering a perspective on the world that had somehow been lost to her for decades and to reconnecting with the natural world. With special care and attention to the plight of pollinators, including honeybees, bumblebees, and solitary bees, and what we can do to help them, Strawbridge Howard shares fascinating details of the lives of flora and fauna that have filled her days with ever-increasing wonder and delight.

RSPB ID Spotlight Ladybirds is a reliable fold-out chart that presents illustrations of 27 of our most widespread and familiar ladybirds by renowned artist Richard Lewington. - Species are grouped by family and helpfully labelled to assist with identification - Artworks are shown side by side for quick comparison and easy reference at home or in the field, or the chart can be fixed to the wall as a beautiful poster - The reverse of the chart provides information on the habitats, behaviour, life cycles and diets of our ladybirds, as well as the conservation issues they are facing and how we can support them The ID Spotlight charts help wildlife enthusiasts identify and learn more about our most common species using accurate colour illustrations and informative, accessible text.

Moths is an accessible introduction to the stunning diversity, life habits and evolution of moths. This insect group encompasses 128 of the 135 families of the scaly winged insects (Lepidoptera), with some 140,000 known species. Moths are among the most successful of the Earth's inhabitants, with an ancient history, some fossils being dated to 190 million years old. This book traces the structure and development of these winged insects and reveals some of their extraordinary adaptations, such as caterpillars that communicate with ants, as well as ruthless survival tactics - including blood-sucking, feeding on the tears of sleeping birds, and cannibalism of their own mothers. It also exposes their essential roles in ecosystems and manifold interactions with humans. Often considered denizens of the night, hopelessly allured by light and voracious destroyers of clothes, the book shines a spotlight on moths, illuminating the bright side of their astonishing diversity.

This new edition of Sasol First Field Guide to Butterflies & Moths of Southern Africa has been fully updated and revised, bringing it in line with the most recent developments in field. It also features new images of all the species and families covered, facilitating quick, easy and accurate identification.

With the help of the full-colour photo graphs and easy-to-read text, the young adult and budding naturalist will be able to identify the more common butterfl ies and moth groups found in southern Africa, discover where they live, and learn about their unique behaviour and unusual features.