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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 23, 2016 19:36:51 GMT
A honeybee on a daisy.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 23, 2016 19:39:03 GMT
This nomad bee was spending a lovely day out on a daisy when the weather suddenly cooled and it was too cold to fly away. Came back after a time to find it had bitten tightly into a petal and was content to dangle there by its mandibles until the weather improved.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 23, 2016 19:40:48 GMT
Yellow-faced bumblebee on Nepeta. Nepeta is better known as catnip for its dizzying effect on our feline friends, however its effect on bees is much more dramatic. A large catnip plant can bloom for months and will play host to a bee on every branch all day long. Not to mention they are beautiful, fast growing and low maintenance garden ornamentals.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 23, 2016 19:43:47 GMT
Pictured is a mining bee, Andrena spp. on a Ceanothus flower cluster. Ceanothus, AKA California lilac, might be the greatest bee attractant of all time. For two weeks every year a good sized Ceanothus shrub can host hundreds of bees at once. There seems to be little or no discrimination as to what species can use it.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 23, 2016 19:47:50 GMT
This is Osmia californica, the California Mason bee. They are about a centimeter in length, and seem to show an impressive penchant for lantana flowers.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 23, 2016 19:49:33 GMT
A male leafcutter bee (Megachile spp.) on a brilliant purple cosmos flower. This type of leafcutter bee is an especially good pollinator of composite flowers such as daisies, asters and sunflowers.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 23, 2016 19:52:37 GMT
A studio shot of the iridescent lines of the raspberry bee, Osmia aglaia. This one had just recently hatched from its cocoon and was in the mood for sitting still long enough to snap the 14 photos it required to create this stacked image. When done, it was placed onto a raspberry flower and it fed heartily before flying away.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 23, 2016 22:30:57 GMT
Pictured is Osmia aglaia. Common name: raspberry bee. A common question people have when looking at close up photos of bees, is what are those three things on this bee's forehead? Those are called ocelli, which are simple eyes (as opposed to the two large compound eyes). Their exact purpose isn't totally clear, but one theory is that they function as lightmeters for navigation... the amount of light, difference between light received in each ocelli and angle of the light (given there is 3 ocellis) tell the bee to navigate towards, away from or perpendicular to the sun.
They likely cannot detect shapes or movement but perhaps because they are larger than a single light gathering unit of the compound eye, may be more effective in sensing brightness. Perhaps they aid in telling the time of day or orienting the bee to the sky? Many other insects have these in some form or another.
Since light is a spectrum of electromagnetic radiation in certain frequencies, the ocellis function as light frequency meters. We as humans have built similar devices called laser gyroscopes but nature had it going long before us.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 23, 2016 22:39:03 GMT
Not a bee at all, but often mistaken for one. This precious gem is a cuckoo wasp. Few insects are as visually captivating. They use the nests of other insects (sometimes bees) to lay their eggs, using the provisions of their host for their own offspring. Although bees get the glory as pollinators, wasps such as cuckoo wasps are hard at work doing the often thankless job of pest control.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 23, 2016 22:43:19 GMT
Pictured is an Osmia lignaria (mason bee); male. Of special note, is the spectacular antenna of this bee. Perhaps the most prominent feature of any bee, these ultra sensitive instruments help the bee smell, and therefore locate flowers to visit. Scent molecules emitted by a flower pass through tiny pores on the antenna to reach sensory cell membranes. These membranes are attached to nerve cells that send an electrical stimulus to the bee's brain. Just as humans have two eyes to detect depth, a bee has two antennae to detect the location of scents. When the bee is in action, these are usually extended outward. This bee was found waking up in the morning on a white rhododendron flower. When at rest, mason bees often extend their antennae back.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 23, 2016 22:51:43 GMT
The compound eyes of a red nomad bee can be quite captivating. These cherry red bees seem to have a "cute" expression. The white hairs around the mouthparts even give them a bit of a grin.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 23, 2016 22:54:06 GMT
The red nomad bee. Sleek and colorful, these bees are among the most entertaining to watch as they gracefully course above the ground in search of the nests of other bees. They lay their eggs in these nests, allowing the other bee species to do the work of supplying resources for their young.
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Post by hobbitlady on Dec 23, 2016 22:59:24 GMT
copperkid3 , Wheee, you've been a busy bee yourself today! Beautiful pictures. Some of those species I wasn't aware of. Love learning something new. Thanks! A very Merry Christmas Eve to you and yours!!!
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 23, 2016 23:02:09 GMT
If elegance could be applied to a bee, surely the description would fit the beautiful Andrena bees. The name Andrena simply means "buzzing insect" in Greek. Also called called mining bees because of their ground nesting habits, these bees will reward you with wonder if you leave them a bare patch of soil to build their nests. This bee was found sitting on an unopened lemon tree blossom.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 23, 2016 23:07:16 GMT
A week was spent on the tallgrass prairies of Illinois, before managing to get a shot of this beautiful female long-horned bee on purple coneflower(Echinacea purpurea). What is striking about this photo, is the vast pollen storage on its hind legs. Note how loosely the pollen sticks to the hairs that are holding it. This looseness allows for very effective pollen transferring.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 24, 2016 1:00:04 GMT
Bombus vosnesenskii, the yellow-faced bumblebee.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 24, 2016 1:01:36 GMT
A close look at the wings of a bumblebee. Reminiscent of stained glass, this complex network of veined flight surfaces is a work of art in its own right. These wings will carry this queen yellow-faced bumblebee great distances over the coming season.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 24, 2016 1:04:46 GMT
You may or may not have noticed that my latest res
Great bee action on heather by yellow faced bumblebee queen (Bombus vosnesenskii). These starkly two-toned bees are among some of the best looking bumbles in North America.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 24, 2016 1:08:31 GMT
Bumble bees and lavender are great friends. Ever notice why there are so many more bumble bees than honey bees on your lavender flowers? Bumbles generally have longer tongues than honey bees, which allow them to more easily access the nectar deep inside a tubular-shaped lavender flower. Bumble bees also require about 1/3 the amount of time to extract the nectar from a lavender flower as compared to a honey bee. With such a miniscule amount of nectar gained from each flower, the more a bee can visit in a day the better. Therefore honey bees will shy away from lavender if they can more efficiently collect nectar from other flower species nearby. This photo shows what is likely a Bombus vandykeii male on lavender.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 24, 2016 1:10:42 GMT
Looking into the eye of a bumblebee. This species is Bombus mixtus, or the fuzzy-horned bumblebee. Look around at the features of the bee and note the branched hairs on its head. These are typical of bees, allowing for more efficient pollen gathering. Also notice the three round dots on its forehead. These are simple eyes called ocelli. Their purpose appears to be to keep the bee upright, and oriented to the light of the sky.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 24, 2016 1:14:26 GMT
Another picture of a bumble on the heather.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 24, 2016 5:50:42 GMT
An Augochlora sweat bee. Fittingly, Augochlora is Greek for "exceedingly green." Here it is seen on New England aster.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 24, 2016 5:53:00 GMT
You may or may not have noticed that my latest res Leafcutter bee on a sunflower.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 24, 2016 5:56:48 GMT
You may or may not have noticed that my latest res
A very tiny Sphecodes bee taking off from a daisy petal. This photo was taken in early August on a sweltering day of extraordinary bee activity in the garden. Had been following this bee's adventures from flower to flower for several minutes, unable to pull off a good shot. In its parting moment everything aligned for a sharp image. What strikes me most is the variety of reds in the glossy abdomen.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 24, 2016 5:57:54 GMT
Bombus vosnesenskii on blazing star (Liatris)
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 24, 2016 6:01:49 GMT
Andrena prunorum, a mining bee. This species has to be among the most elegant of bees. They also walk around flowers with their orange wings flared out, much like a lot of wasps do. They just look beautiful when they're on the white flowers of cherry trees. They are a late spring specialty, taking care of the pollination of crab apples and late blooming cherry trees.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 24, 2016 6:05:48 GMT
The eastern carpenter bee, Xylocopa virginia. Just as loved for their lively pollinating presence as they are reviled for excavating into lumber, these gentle giants are among the best known insects of North America.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 24, 2016 6:08:05 GMT
Pollinators of many types are attracted to sea holly (Eryngium). Here a Bombus flavifrons male shares a flower with an ant.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 24, 2016 6:10:17 GMT
The small resin bee, Heriades spp. navigating the blooms of butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa). These small bees are closely related to the more well-known mason and leafcutter bees.
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Post by copperkid3 on Dec 24, 2016 6:11:36 GMT
A female western leafcutter bee (Megachile periherta) works its way around the circle of tiny florets that make up a sunflowers' single head blossum.
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