Bumblebees: Ecology and Behaviour

by Dave Goulson

Bumblebees have always been favored subjects for scientific study, but research has accelerated in recent years. Many new discoveries have been made with regard to their ecology and social behavior. The last twenty years has seen the commercialization of bumblebee breeding or pollination,
and the invasion of new parts of the globe by bumblebee species, with potentially far-reaching consequences. Despite this, there is a great deal that we do not know about bumblebees. Their nests are hard to locate, so that those of some species have never been found. Fundamental aspects of the
behavior of many species, such as mating, have never been seen. Bumblebees are undergoing a widespread decline, but this has not yet caught the attention of the general public to the same extent as, for example, the plight of rare butterflies or birds. But bumblebees are probably of far greater
ecological and economic importance than these groups because the pollination of crops and the survival of many wildflowers depend upon them. This book attempts to draw attention to the importance of conserving dwindling bumblebee populations. It synthesizes the current state of knowledge of the
behavior and ecology of these fascinating and charismatic organisms, and identifies some of the many gaps that remain in hope of stimulating further research.

Genres: Science, Nature, Nonfiction

246 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

After a childhood chasing butterflies and collecting bird’s eggs, I studied Biology at Oxford University, and then did a PhD on butterfly ecology at Oxford Brookes University. Shortly afterwards I got a lectureship at University of Southampton, where I stayed for 11 years. It was there that I began to specialize in bumblebee ecology and conservation. In 2006 I became Professor of Biology and Stirling University. In 2006 I also founded the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, a charity devoted to reversing bumblebee declines. In 2013 I moved to Sussex University.

I have published over 200 scientific articles on the ecology of bees and other insects, and am author of Bumblebees: Behaviour, Ecology and Conservation (2010, Oxford University Press) and A Sting in the Tale (2013, Jonathan Cape), a popular science book about bumblebees. A Buzz in the Meadow (Jonathon Cape) is due to be published in September 2014.

I am a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In 2010 I was BBSRC "Social Innovator of the Year" and in 2013 I won the Marsh Award for Conservation Biology from the Zoological Society of London.

Reviews

[ClareT · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this book on my wish list for a long time. Bumblebees are fascinating creatures, vital for food, but until recently overlooked and under appreciated.
This book is fascinating, the early chapters about bee physiology and thermo regulation have resulted in a couple more books hitting my to read list and for me were probably the most interesting parts of the book.
There's a lot of scientific study presented, mainly about flowers, pollination and co-evolution (as would be expected in a book about pollinators) but it is presented in an easy to understand way. At no point did I feel out of my depth at all.
Defintitely to be recommended if you want to learn more about bees and their behaviour.