Hairy-foot, Long-tongue: Solitary bees, biodiversity & evolution in your backyard
David Perkins (Whittles Publishing, £18.99)
THE wettest spring anyone can recall has caused social media to buzz loudly about the sheer dearth of insects. In this richly illustrated book, David Perkins explains what we have been missing, but also why we should care about the issue. His subject is bees, but notably not the one with which most are familiar, the honey bee. He explains how this domesticated species is actually not the best pollinator for our gardens or orchards: ‘A rich and diverse population of solitary and social bees,’ he concludes, ‘is most advantageous for growing human crops.’
Dr Perkins sets out to acquaint us with these lesser-known family members. They range
