resources
Online Resources:
Bee Observer Cards - Introduction to native bees, including identification, ecology and anatomy, in easy to read flash card form.
Bumblebee.org - Detailed information about bumble bees and their life cycle.
BugGuide - Insect identification guides and images.
Center for Food Safety - CFS's Pollinators and Pesticides program includes resources, reports, guides, and more.
Discover Life - Identification guides, distribution maps and images for all living plant and animal species.
Gardeners Beware - A 2014 study by Friends of the Earth and Pesticide Research Institute found that bee-friendly plants sold at garden centers across the U.S. and Canada contained bee-toxic pesticides, with no warning to gardeners.
Great Sunflower Project - Citizen science organization engages North American residents in gathering information on the health of our bee populations, and encouraging the creation of bee-friendly habitat.
Honey Bee Haven - Put your bee-friendly, pesticide-free backyard or community garden on the map with this online tool.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Lady Bird Johnson's website for North American native plants and wildflowers, including descriptions and images.
Managing Pests Safely Without Neonicotinoids
Pollinator-Friendly Seeds and Nursery Directory
Save Bees - Learn about the serious threats to our bees and how you can help.
Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History Botany Collections - Search the Plant Photo Archive to find additional images of plants.
UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab - UC Berkeley's Urban Bee Lab website for native bees and bee-friendly gardening.
USDA Plants Database - Taxonomy, characteristics, and distribution of North American plants.
Xerces Society - Established to protect invertebrates and their habitat, the Xerces Society website includes a robust pollinator conservation resource section.
Hardcopy texts:
Evans, Elaine, Ian Burns and Marla Spivak. Befriending Bumble Bees. University of Minnesota Extension Service Publication. 2007.
Frankie, Gordon W., Robbin W. Thorp, Rollin E. Coville and Barbara Ertter. California Bees and Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists. Heyday. 2014.
LeBuhn, Gretchen. The Common Bees of California. University of California Press. 2013.
Michener, Charles D. The Bees of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press. 2000.
O’toole, Christopher and Anthony Raw. Bees of the World. Blandford Press. 1999.
Williams, Paul H., Robbin W. Thorp, Leif L. Richardson and Sheila R. Colla. Bumble Bees of North America: An Identification Guide. Princeton University Press. 2014.
Xerces Society. Attracting Native Pollinators. Storey Publishing. 2011.
