This colored photo essay is designed to be read similarly to a National Geographic magazine where a si gnificant portion of the meaning is embedded in pictures and picture labels. When the reader feels compelled, the book provides options for reading beyond the pictures. While the almonds were blooming during February and March of 2011; I collected notes, measurements, and photographs while observing honeybees (HBs) and blue orchard bees (BOBs) in an almond orchard in Turlock, California. The primary intent of this book is to contrast the behavior of HBs and BOBs in an orchard. This essay describes insect and tree events for four key flower bloom stages: pre, early, peak, and late bloom. The BOBs were in the orchard to supplement the effects of the HBs. When one considers that the HB is a social bee and the BOB, a solitary bee; it makes sense that striking differences would be observed in how they live and forage in an orchard. These two insects often behaved as dissimilar as the hare and the tortoise in the fabled race. The HBs were observed devoting long periods of time to transporting pollen into their hives; but they were also observed spending much of the day moving only nectar, and thus accomplishing little pollination during this time. The BOBs maintained a steady flow of pollen into their nests, but were not always available for foraging. This book details how these two very different bees are able to compliment each other's pollinating effects in an almond orchard.

This book on blue orchard bees (BOBs) is designed for the person who primarily looks at pictures and labels, rather than text, when reading the National Geographic. When the reader feels compelled, this book provides options for reading beyond the pictures. Four groups of readers are targeted:California almond growers Learn how to use BOBs to cut risk and increase production. The book describes an approach that uses honeybees, supplemented with BOBs. Topics include:*Cutting your risk when your honeybees fail to show in January*Knowing when to place BOBs *Saving money and gaining control by keeping BOBs in your refrigerator*Determining where BOBs give you the greatest gain*Measuring the effect of BOBs in your orchardBackyard keepers of Osmia beesBOBs in California almonds is the context of this book, but whether the reader lives in Canada, China, England, or Japan; the practices generally are adaptable for other Osmia bees in other ecosystems. Topics include: *Predicting if a pear, apple, or cherry tree responds well to Osmia pollination *Making reed nests that collect heat*Determining if supplemental mud is required *Matching the blooming tree with the emerging bee*Building anomalous nesting space to increase the number of female progenySolitary bee researchersLearn of new areas to explore. Topics include: *Creating anomalous nesting space to manipulate progeny gender*Using endothermy to explore putting Osmia bees into the air sooner*Inducing and measuring yield gradientsProponents of agricultural sustainabilityLearn how a wild bee is adapted into a large agricultural monoculture. Topics include:*The fragility of an agricultural system that depends on a single insect for survival*How the environment is manipulated around a wild insect to benefit man's ends*Up close look at one of the larger agricultural monocultures in California

This book on blue orchard bees is designed for the person who primarily looks at pictures and labels, rather than text, when reading the National Geographic. When the reader feels compelled, the book provides options for reading beyond the pictures. Six groups of readers are targeted:CALIFORNIA ALMOND GROWERS-Learn how to use BOBs to cut your risk and increase your production. Although the book specifically targets Fresno County almond ranches, growers though out the region will require minimal adaptation. The emphasis is on using honeybees, supplemented with BOBs. Topics include:Cutting your risk for the time when your honeybees fail to show up in JanuaryTaking your honeybee hat off and handling BOBs uniquely Knowing when to place BOBs in the orchardSaving money and gaining control by keeping BOBs in your refrigeratorDetermining where BOBs will give you the greatest gainMeasuring the effect of BOBs in your orchardBACKYARD KEEPERS OF OSMIA BEES-Learn how to grow Osmia bees. BOBs in California almonds is the example used in this book, but if the reader lives in Canada, China, England, or Japan; the practices generally are adaptable for other Osmia bees in other ecosystems. Topics include: Predicting if a pear, apple, or cherry tree responds well to Osmia pollination Making reed nests that collect heatUsing Dan Brown's method to determine if supplemental mud is required Matching the blooming tree with the emerging bee4H and FFA LEADERS-Learn how to guide a BOB pollination project. Topics include: How to raise BOBs and make nestsEssentials of fruit and nut tree pollinationHow to evaluate the BOB outcome and the pollination outcomeSOLITARY BEE RESEARCHERS-Learn of rich, new areas. Topics include: Creating anomalous nesting space to manipulate progeny genderUsing endothermy to explore getting Osmia bees flying in colder airInducing and measuring Osmia bee associated yield gradientsPROPONENTS OF AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY- Topics include: The fragility of an agricultural system that depends on a single insect for survivalHow the environment is manipulated around a wild insect to benefit man's endsHow a new pollinator can supplement the work of a traditional pollinatorUp close look at one of the larger agricultural moncultures in CaliforniaBACKYARD SCIENTISTS- For a naturalist, the Osmia bee can become the focus of a fascinating study. Topics include:Methods of obtaining thousands of data points with little effortExamples of some potentially rewarding systems to study

Native bees are a hidden treasure. From alpine meadows in the national forests of the Rocky Mountains to the Sonoran Desert in the Coronado National Forest in Arizona and from the boreal forests of the Tongass National Forest in Alaska to the Ocala National Forest in Florida, bees can be found anywhere in North America, where flowers bloom. From forests to farms, from cities to wildlands, there are 4,000 native bee species in the United States, from the tiny Perdita minima to large carpenter bees. This illustrated and colorful pamphlet provides valued information about native bees --over 4,000 in population --varying in a wide array of sizes, shapes, and colors. They are also different in their life styles, the places they frequent, the nests they build, the flowers they visit, and their season of activity. Yet, they all provide an invaluable ecosystem service - pollination -to 80 percent of flowering plants. Blueberry bees, bumble bees, yellow jacket bees, carpenter bees, and more are explored, including the differences in their gender, nests, and geographical regions that they visit.

This book discusses the interplay among bees, agriculture and the environment. Both managed and wild bees are critical for successful pollination of numerous fruit, vegetable, oilseed and legume seed crops and are considered here. So is treatment of how bees also impact the agro-ecosystem in ways beyond simple pollination, such as by transporting pollen from genetically modified plants and by enhancing biological control strategies. The principles and examples are international. The concept is in line with current thinking of pollination as an important ecological process, and an understanding of agriculture as disturbance ecology.