Digger, mining and neon cuckoo bees of South Africa: A photographic identification guide to species

Description:

There are over 1,200 bee species, classified into six families, in South Africa. Most of them are small and inconspicuous but very important for pollination. Mining and digger bees are mostly medium-sized bees that, due to their diversity and abundance, provide an important ecosystem service. Unlike the sociable honeybee, all of which are one species, they are all solitary.

This book is primarily aimed at stimulating an interest and appreciation for bees, which is best achieved through learning to identify the different species. Awareness of bee diversity will hopefully lead to a greater appreciation of bees and their role in conserving South Africa's floral diversity. Photography and other forms of documentation should improve our understanding of the conservation measures needed to protect bees. Seventy-five (75) species are included in this guide, which, together with the Big Bees of South Africa (Suricata 11, 2024), comes to a total of 133 bees that should be easy to identify.