Fauna of New Zealand Number 57 Apoidea (Insecta : Hymenoptera)

Barry Donovan

Bees

Bees are essential pollinators for many commercially valuable crops. The bees present in New Zealand are not as colourful nor as conspicuous compared to the range of species of bees that occurs in many other countries of comparable size. Exceptions are the big, burly buzzing queen bumble bees which are recognised immediately by most people. However native species are superficially rather fly-like when on the wing, and even honey bees might sometimes be confused with vespid wasps.

The general resemblance of many of our native bees to some flies has not only limited their recognition as bees by the public, but within the group of large hairy species the close similarity among a number of species has made identification difficult even by entomologists.

A total of 41 species of bees are known from the greater New Zealand biogeographical area of which 27 are endemic, that is found only in New Zealand, and of these, 14 are new to science. Another five species are also present in Australia and clearly have originated from there, one other species is European in origin, and eight species have been purposely imported from the Northern Hemisphere.

In addition to identifying all the species of bees in New Zealand, this revision presents a key, drawings and colour photographs for each species that will allow specimens to be identified, delineates the areas over which each species has been found and at what time of year they occur, lists all the flowers with which the species have been associated, records the enemies of each species of bee, and presents all known biological information, including conservation status.

Contributor Barry Donovan was born in Taumarunui in New Zealand, and has been captivated by bees since his childhood, when he assisted his local commercial beekeeper and kept his own beehives. He gained a PhD from University of California, Davis, and worked for 22 years as an entomologist for the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, specialising in in the introduction and management of new species of bees for pollination of introduced crops.  He has since pursued research as an independent entomologist.

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Product information

Author: Barry Donovan
ISBN: 978-0-47-809389-6
Publisher: Manaaki Whenua Press
Publication date: 2007
Pages: 295
Format: Paperback