Bees
 

Handbook of the Bees of the British Isles (2-Volume Set). George Else and Mike Edwards (2018). A comprehensive key and accounts for the British species of bees. 775 pages in two volumes. Corrections available here

Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland. Steven J. Falk (2015). Keys and describes all the British species known by 2015.

Steven Falk's online resource for bee identification. Steven Falk is building a comprehensive photo guide to British Bees. Download instructions for using his Flickr Photo resource here

A visual guide for the identification of British Coelioxys bees - Rhian Rowson & Mark Pavett (2008).

BWARS members Rhian Rowson and Mark Pavett have produced this photo-guide to aid the identification of British Coelioxys bees.

Test Key for Hylaeus bees - Alan Stubbs (2007).

BWARS member Alan Stubbs has produced this test key. Please read the introduction before using this key.

Wild Bees of Scotland
BWARS members Mike Edwards and Jeremy Early have collaborated with Scottish Natural Heritage to produce a guide to some of the common and more readily identified bees of Scotland. The guide can be downloaded here

Wasps

Social wasps - key to wasps of the family Vespidae - Mike Edwards (July 2019). This is a corrected version of the key to Vespidae wasps, issued in the BWARS Newsletter (Spring 2019 issue). The correction relates to one character which had been transposed in the male Dolichovespula part of the key.

The British Potter and Mason Wasps - Michael Archer (1996).

BWARS President, Michael Archer has kindly made the key from his Handbook available as a free download.

Paper and Social wasps of central Europe - Libor Dvořák & Stuart Roberts (2006)

Keys in Czech and English. Lavishly illustrated. Includes all British species.

Photographs of key features used in various identification keys
Ian Tew has provided numerous very useful photographs of the key features of various wasp species here

Ants

3 Myrmica species - Phil Attewell (2011): Part 1 and Part 2 aids to help separate Myrmica scabrinodis, sabuleti and specioides.

Stenamma worker ants - Mike Fox (2009).

BWARS ant record coordinator, Mike Fox has produced this photographic guide to distinguishing UK Stenamma worker ants.