Ants of North America: A Guide to the Genera by 
The Bee: A Natural History by 
The Bees of the World by
In this update of his reference, Charles D. Michener reveals a diverse fauna that numbers more than 17,000 species and ranges from the common honeybee to rare bees that feed on the pollen of a single type of plant. With many new facts, reclassifications, and revisions, the second edition of The Bees of the World provides the most comprehensive treatment of the 1,200 genera and subgenera of the Apiformes. Included are hundreds of updated citations to work published since the appearance of the first edition and a new set of fossil bees. The book begins with extensive introductory sections that include bee evolution, classification of the various bee families, the coevolution of bees and flowering plants, nesting behavior, differences between solitary and social bees, and the anatomy of these amazing insects. Drawing on modern studies and evidence from the fossil record, Michener reveals what the ancestral bee - the protobee - might have looked like. He also cites the major literature on bee biology and describes the need for further research on the systematics and natural history of bees, including their importance as pollinators of crops and natural vegetation. The greater part of the work consists of a treatment of bee systematics, with keys for identification to the subgenus level. For each genus and subgenus, Michener includes a brief natural history describing geographical range, number of species, and noteworthy information pertaining to nesting or floral biology.
Buzz, Sting, Bite : why we need insects by
Insects comprise roughly half of the animal kingdom, and they live everywhere. Most of us think life would be better without bugs. In fact, life would be impossible without them. Without the pinhead-sized chocolate midge, cocoa flowers would not pollinate. The fruit fly is essential to medical and biological research experiments. Insects turn dead plants and animals into soil. They control organisms that are harmful to humans. Sverdrup-Thygeson shows us that there is more variety among insects than we can even imagine, and the more you learn about insects, the more fascinating they become
Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West by 
Field Guide To Grasshoppers, Katydids, And Crickets Of The United States by
introduces readers to the biology, behavior, and ecological significance of one of the most obvious (abundant, large, and colorful) and important (ecologically and economically significant) insect groups in North America, the order Orthoptera. A simple, illustrated identification guide assists the reader in distinguishing among the various groups and narrows down the options to expedite identification. The book treats more than a third of the species found in the United States and Canada in brief, easy-to-understand sections that provide information on distribution, identification, ecology, and similar species. Distribution maps accompany each profile, and 206 species are pictured in color.
Field Guide to the Common Bees of California: including bees of the Western United States by 
Flies: the natural history & diversity of Diptera by 
Monarchs and Milkweed: a migrating butterfly, a poisonous plant, and their remarkable story of coevolution by
Monarch butterflies are one of nature's most recognizable creatures, known for their bright colors and epic annual migration from the United States and Canada to Mexico. Yet there is much more to the monarch than its distinctive presence and mythic journeying. In Monarchs and Milkweed, Anurag Agrawal presents a vivid investigation into how the monarch butterfly has evolved closely alongside the milkweed--a toxic plant named for the sticky white substance emitted when its leaves are damaged--and how this inextricable and intimate relationship has been like an arms race over the millennia, a battle of exploitation and defense between two fascinating species. The monarch life cycle begins each spring when it deposits eggs on milkweed leaves. But this dependency of monarchs on milkweeds as food is not reciprocated, and milkweeds do all they can to poison or thwart the young monarchs. Agrawal delves into major scientific discoveries, including his own pioneering research, and traces how plant poisons have not only shaped monarch-milkweed interactions but have also been culturally important for centuries. Agrawal presents current ideas regarding the recent decline in monarch populations, including habitat destruction, increased winter storms, and lack of milkweed--the last one a theory that the author rejects. He evaluates the current sustainability of monarchs and reveals a novel explanation for their plummeting numbers. Lavishly illustrated with more than eighty color photos and images, Monarchs and Milkweed takes readers on an unforgettable exploration of one of nature's most important and sophisticated evolutionary relationships.
Moths of Western North America by
Insects boast incredible diversity, and this book treats an important component of the western insect biota that has not been summarized before - moths and their plant relationships. There are about 8,000 named species of moths in our region, and although most go unnoticed by the public, many attract attention when their larvae create economic damage: eating holes in woolens, infesting stored foods, boring into apples, damaging crops and garden plants, or defoliating forests. In contrast to previous North American moth books, this volume discusses about 25 percent of the species in every family, including the tiny species, making it the most comprehensive volume in the field. Describing and illustrating about 2,500 species, including virtually all moths of economic importance, this book covers their morphology, taxonomy, adult behavior, larval biology, and life cycles.
Peterson First Guide to Caterpillars of North America by
Discusses 120 of the most common caterpillars and the adult butterflies and moths they become and gives advice on how to raise caterpillars to adults.
Scorpions of Medical Importance by 
Secret Weapons: defenses of insects, spiders, scorpions, and other many-legged creatures by
Part handbook, part field guide, part photo album, Secret Weapons chronicles the diverse and often astonishing defensive strategies that have allowed insects, spiders, scorpions, and other many-legged creatures not just to survive, but to thrive." "In sixty-nine chapters, each illustrated with photographs culled from Thomas Eisner's legendary collection, we meet a largely North American cast of anthropods - as well as a few of their kin from Australia, Europe, and Asia - and observe at firsthand the nature and extent of the defenses that lie at the root of their evolutionary success. Here are the cockroaches and termites, the carpenter ants and honeybees, and all the miniature creatures in between, deploying their sprays and venom, froth and feces, camouflage and sticky coatings. And along with a marvelous bug's-eye view of how these secret weapons actually work, here is a close-up look at the science behind them, from taxonomy to chemical formulas, as well as an appendix with instructions for studying chemical defenses at home. Whether dipped into here and there or read cover to cover, Secret Weapons will prove invaluable to hands-on-researchers and amateur naturalists alike, and will captivate any reader for whom nature is a source of wonder.
The Superorganism: the beauty, elegance, and strangeness of insect societies by
The Pulitzer Prize-winning authors of Ants present a lavishly detailed account of the extraordinary lives of social insects that draws on more than two decades of research and offers insight into how bees, termites, and other insect societies thrive in systems of altruistic cooperation, complex communication, and labor division.
Tracks and Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates by
The first-ever reference to the sign left by insects and other North American invertebrates includes descriptions and almost 1,000 color photos of tracks, egg cases, nests, feeding signs, galls, webs, burrows, and signs of predation. Identification is made to the family level, sometimes to the genus or species.
Wicked Bugs: the louse that conquered Napoleon's army & other diabolical insects by
In this darkly comical look at the sinister side of our relationship with the natural world, Stewart has tracked down over one hundred of our worst entomological foes-creatures that infest, infect, and generally wreak havoc on human affairs.
Butterflies of Britain and Europe by
Aimed at both the general reader and amateur naturalist, this guide offers information on observing and identifying 150 of the most commonly encountered butterfly species in Britain and Europe. Each butterfly's habits, range and important characteristics are described, while colour paintings show each butterfly in detail. There are sections on the four stages of the life-cycle of butterflies and on breeding butterflies. Sound advice on conservation issues is also offered. The book can be used as both a home reference and a pocket companion in the field.
Moths: Types, Ecological Significance and Control Methods by 
