Description
Sugarbag Bees, 2016. 246 pages : colour illustrations, maps
$37.00
Keeping native stingless bees is a hot topic in Australia for commercial, environmental and recreational reasons. This book allows the reader to do something about the decline of pollinators by conserving native bees.
In this book you’ll find the complete guide to native stingless bees, written by an ex-CSIRO research scientist who has spent his lifetime intimately engaged with these unique creatures. Whether you keep a hive or two in your suburban garden, or want to use multiple hives on a commercial farm, this friendly guide has you covered.
The Australian Native Bee Book describes native bees generally and provides a complete guide to keeping Australian native stingless bees. It is richly illustrated with over 500 photos, drawings and charts to increase accessibility and aid learning.
In stock
Sugarbag Bees, 2016. 246 pages : colour illustrations, maps
Topics covered include: classification, foraging and nesting behaviours, mating and parental strategies, thermoregulation, natural enemies, defensive strategies, and directions for future research.
Many years travelling around Australia combined with a passion for the ‘little’ things which are so important for a healthy life have been compiled to produce this author’s view of the rarely seen group of insect predators, the tiger beetles. As Mark says ‘If we are aware of something, we have a better chance of helping it survive.’
This excellent photographic guide offers people a chance to get familiar with some of the most timid and least seen top order invertebrate predators in Australia – the carnivorous tiger beetles. It is designed to enhance our understanding of our own backyard as there is a massive amount of insect destruction.
Ants that commonly invade homes, damage structures, inflict painful bites, or sting humans or their pets are considered pest ants. This illustrated identification guide highlights forty species of ants that pose difficulties in urban settings. Included are well-known invasive troublemakers such as the red imported fire ant and Argentine ant, as well as native species.
After an introductory chapter on the evolution, biology, and ecology of pest ants, the book follows a taxonomic arrangement by subfamily. Each subfamily chapter includes separate illustrated keys to both the genera and species of that group to enable entomologists and pest control professionals to identify pest ants correctly. The species accounts cover biology, distribution, and methods for excluding and/or removing ants from human structures and landscapes. The authors focus on the ants’ biology and nesting behaviour, life cycles, and feeding preferences; an intimate understanding of these factors enables the implementation of the least toxic control methods available.
A chapter on control principles and techniques encompasses chemical strategies, habitat and structural modifications, biological control, and integrated pest management methods. Urban Ants of North America and Europe also contains valuable information on the diagnosis and treatment of human reactions to ant stings and bites. This comprehensive reference work on these economically significant ants includes the scientific, English, French, Spanish, and German names for each species and a summary of invasive ant species in the United States and Europe.
Identify Australia’s crickets with this detailed and fully illustrated guide.
Cricket song is a sound of the Australian bush. Even in cities, the rasping calls signify Australia’s remarkable cricket biodiversity. Crickets are notable for a variety of reasons. When their population booms, some of these species become agricultural pests and destroy crop pastures. Some introduced species are of biosecurity concern. Other crickets are important food sources for native birds, reptiles and mammals, as well as domestic pets. Soon you might even put them in your cake or stir-fry, as there is a rapidly growing industry for cricket products for human consumption.
Featuring keys, distribution maps, illustrations and detailed colour photographs from CSIRO’s Australian National Insect Collection, A Guide to Crickets of Australia allows readers to reliably identify all 92 described genera and many species from the Grylloidea (true crickets) and Gryllotalpoidea (mole crickets and ant crickets) superfamilies. Not included are the Raspy Crickets (Gryllacrididae), King Crickets (Anostostomatidae) or the so-called ‘Pygmy Mole Crickets’ (Caelifera), which despite their common names are not related to true crickets. Natural history enthusiasts and professionals will find this an essential guide.