This is a remarkable book on many levels. Who would have thought that an entire volume would be devoted to social wasps? How many people even know of social wasps?
In a large leap of faith, Chris Alice Kratzer, fuelled by her own passion for these insects, set about to write and illustrate the first field guide to social wasps, and the result is an informative, richly illustrated work that will become a must-have book for anyone with even a passing interest in wasps.
The first seventy-two pages provide a wealth of information on everything from anatomy to ecology to taxonomy to conservation, ending with a 'How to use this guide' section.
What follows is a stunning portrayal of every species in North America, which for the purposes of this guide encompasses Greenland, the Caribbean and Central America. The artwork covers the variations and castes for each species, in exquisite detail, with a concise description and range map. It boggles the mind to contemplate that all of this was done by one person - and a twenty-five year old mechanical engineer at that. It took a thousand hours to finish the work, on top of a thousand hours already invested in research.
The work draws heavily on the internet platform iNaturalist and the illustrations are based on photographs found there, with consent granted by, and full credit given to, each contributor. In fact, we first were apprised of the work in progress when permission was sought to use a picture taken by my wife, Miriam Bauman.)
Here is her contribution on Page 161.
There is an extensive glossary, a tool I always find very useful, and a comprehensive bibliography.
It is almost poignant (yet nonetheless brave) to note that the author felt it important to draw attention to her membership in the LGBT+ community. Perhaps in the not too distant future, we will embrace the day when such affiliations are no longer noteworthy and the only thing that will matter is the calibre of the book.
I am happy to say that I have had the chance now to pore over it for several days, and each time I open the pages it gets better.
Bravo Chris Alice Kratzer!
The Social Wasps of North America - Owlfly Publishing
Author: Chris Alice Kratzer
US$24.99 - 6 x 9 inches (15 x 22.5 cm) - 424 pages - 900 full colour illustrations
ISBN 9781737892700
Published: 8 January 2022
