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LinkedInPosts Tagged: The Honey Bee Hobbyist
Ever Seen a Honey Bee Foraging on a Daffodil?
Ever seen a honey bee foraging on a daffodil? In the early spring, blooms are few and far between. Daffodils are not usually considered "bee plants." But if nothing else is blooming, bees will head over to the daffodils. On a Feb. 6th visit to the UC Davis Ecological Garden at...
A pollen-packing honey bee heads a patch of daffodils on the UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee adjusts her load of pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A golden honey bee with a load of golden pollen from golden daffodils. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Retractable Landing Gear: Bee Approaches an Artichoke
When you're a honey bee and you're packing pollen and approaching your landing--an artichoke thistle--it's a good idea to clean your proboscis (tongue) first. Caught in flight: a honey bee doing a little grooming. This one hovered like a syrphid fly or flower fly, perhaps waiting...
A honey bee begins cleaning her proboscis (tongue) before landing on a blossoming artichoke. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The honey bee finishes her grooming--cleaning her tongue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Landing interference? The honey bee spots another bee blocking her landing. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
All clear below! A honey bee touches down on the artichoke thistle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey Bees Just Lovin' the Mustard
The things we overlook are the things we should look for. Take mustard and honey bees. You've seen mustard thriving in fields, but have you ever considered planting some seeds from a nursery in your garden so honey bees will have something to eat in early spring? (And then, of course, replacing...
Packing a heavy load of pollen, a honey bee heads for a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Touchdown! A honey bee reaches a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee on top of her world--a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Heading home--a honey bee leaves a mustard patch to share her bounty with her colony. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Laborious Honey Bee
Today is Labor Day 2019, a federal holiday celebrated the first Monday of September. However, "the girls" are working, as they do every day of the year, weather permitting. "The girls" are the worker honey bees. Unless you keep bees or have access to a hive, you mostly see them foraging. But...
A worker honey bee forages on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) in the magic hour, the hour before sunset. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Illuminated by the late afternoon sun, the worker bee prepares to fly to another Tithonia blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A worker bee takes flight, lifting over a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Can't Cut the Mustard? Not Honey Bees!
The phrase "can't cut the mustard" (not able to handle the job) doesn't apply to honey bees. It's spring and honey bees are emerging en force from their hives to collect nectar and pollen to feed their colonies. The fields are awash with mustard. By the way, O. Henry, in his collection of short...
A pollen-laden honey bee nectaring a mustard blossom in Vacaville, Calif. this week: in between the rains! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Mustard pollen is to a bee what a milk mustache is to a kid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The bee is grabbing both pollen and nectar from a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
