Bees, ants, and solitary wasps are all members of the order Hymenoptera, an important group of insects that includes the sawflies, woodwasps, gallwasps, and parasitoids. This book provides the non-specialist and the professional zoologist with an introductory survey of the BritishHymenoptera.Drawing on the resources of the British Museum (Natural History) as well as their own wide experience, the editors present an account of each family: a diagnosis of the taxon; comments on the size and geographical distribution of the family; and a synopsis of the biology of the group. Key works forthe identification of British species are listed, and new keys are provided to the families and superfamilies represented in Britain. Introductory sections cover natural history, biology, evolution, classification, structure, and economic importance.Although the emphasis is on the 6500 recorded British species, the identification keys are relevant to the rest of western Europe and also largely to North America, whose species bear close resemblance to those in Britain at family and subfamily levels. An extensive bibliography is included.