Includes index.

Introduction. Is this a bee? ; Bee names ; The bee lifecycle ; Where do bees live? ; Bee sociality ; What do bees eat? ; A bee's enemies ; A bee's body ; How to study bees ; Identifying bees ; Key to the chapters of this book ; Appreciating bees -- Promoting bees in your neighborhood. Bees as pollinators ; Providing habitat ; Providing food -- Andrenidae. Identification tips (Andreninae ; Protandrenini and Panurgini ; Perditini ; Calliopsis ; Oxaeinae) -- Colletidae. Identification tips (Colletinae ; Hylaeus ; Diphaglossinae) -- Melittidae. Identification tips -- Halictidae. Identification tips (Agapostemon ; Halictus ; Lasioglossum ; Augochlorini ; Nomiinae ; Rophitinae) -- Megachilidae. Identification tips (Lithurginae ; Osmia ; Hoplitis ; Other Osmiini ; Anthidium ; Other Anthidiini ; Megachile) -- Apidae. Identification tips (Xylocopa ; Ceratina ; Exomalopsini ; Emphorini ; Common Eucerini ; Peponapis and Xenoglossa ; Other Eucerini ; Anthophorini ; Centris ; Bombus ; Apis Mellifera ; Euglossa) -- Pollen thieves. Identification tips (Cuckoo bees : Apidae ; Cuckoo bees : Halicitidae ; Cuckoo bees : Megachilidae) -- Appendix: Guide to the pronunciation of bee names.

This book provides an introduction to the roughly 4,000 different bee species found in the United States and Canada, dispelling common myths about bees while offering tips for telling them apart in the field. The book features more than 900 color photos of the bees living all around us -- in our gardens and parks, along nature trails, and in the wild spaces between. It describes their natural history, including where they live, how they gather food, their role as pollinators, and even how to attract them to your own backyard. Ideal for amateur naturalists and experts alike, it gives detailed accounts of every bee family and genus in North America, describing key identification features, distributions, diets, nesting habits, and more.