Our Native Bees

December 1, 2017
Although the honey bee is the poster child for all manner of pollinators, there are more than four-thousand species of native bees whose work in guaranteeing an abundant and diverse food supply is just as critical; yet when quizzed, few people would be able to name even one. Though she is a horticultural professional, Embry counted herself among the woefully uninformed, a situation she sought to correct by becoming a self-proclaimed bee nerd, capable of identifying even the most obscure Anthophora or tracking down an elusive Halictus. She traveled the country, from California's almond groves to Maine's blueberry farms, to find the respected experts and fellow enthusiasts who could assist her in her mission to bring the plight of endangered native bees in all their underappreciated diversity to light. Designed to educate everyone from bee and honey enthusiasts to amateur gardeners and agricultural professionals, Embry's captivating profiles of just a few of the myriad native bee species and the dedicated individuals and institutions committed to their survival are as entertaining as they are enlightening.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)