The loquat trees are in bloom and the honeybees are loving it.
Loquat
Tag: bees
Bee Still
Even the busiest bees need to take a break now and then.
National Pollinator Week
This bee was in trouble; trying to fly, but couldn’t. Kept grooming itself like it was trying to clean something off. This isn’t the first time I’ve found a bee in this state. I don’t use poison in my garden, but I can’t control what happens beyond my property. It could be the effects of poison, parasites, or something else entirely. Sad to see.
Teddy Bear
This is a male valley carpenter bee. I normally only see the all black females here, so this is a rare sighting in my yard. The valley carpenter bee is the biggest bee in California. The females can get really huge. The males are typically not as big; however, they are still fairly imposing. This one was definitely bigger than all the other bees around at the time, and he was clambering all over the escallonia like the bee version of Godzilla, knocking off petals and pollen, and shaking off the ants. The escallonia is like crack for bees, so I’m betting he’ll be back!
Best Exotic Marigold
Actually, I was taking a photo of the tiny bee on the marigold. It’s SO tiny! I thought it was a fly at first. I have no idea what kind of bee this is.
Busy Bee
It was tough to get a photo of this speedy little bee, and she’s a bit blurry here. She tried out various tubes all afternoon in between trips to gather more pollen, but unfortunately I haven’t seen her since. I don’t know if she laid any eggs before she disappeared.
Mosh Pit Bee
Not really, he’s a carpenter bee. A mountain or foothill carpenter bee – either name applies. I live in the valley, and I usually see valley carpenter bees in my yard. The valley bees are much bigger, but this guy will bonk right into them. He chases the hummingbird too.
Bee House
My dad made this sweet house for the mason bees out of a wine box.
Mason
One of the mason bee hatchlings came by for a visit yesterday. I had to fish the little guy out of a water dish! I’ve added pebbles to it, so he’ll have something to climb onto if he should fall in again. I think he was here looking for a girl bee, but they are all still sleeping in their cocoons – hopefully they’ll come out soon!
Home, Sweet Home
It was super windy today, the kind of wind that knocks trees down and snaps telephone poles, so my plans to hang up this bee house were put on hold. Once the weather is nicer I’ll select a good spot for this house and put out the welcome mat.
