I’ve always noticed that on cool, damp, drizzly days the bees don’t like to move around much.
Rather than busy bees, they tend to be sleepy bees.
Directly out my back door are sunflowers. They’ve been loaded with bees the last few days.
Today, this first one, has been sitting in the same spot for hours.
It even fell asleep with food all over its head. Pollen must do that to you.
There were two on another flower. The one has had its head jammed down next to the petals for hours.
The other has been doing its best to remain busy as a bee. It slowly goes back and forth on the same small sunflower over and over again. Every now and then it will walk out to the tip of a petal and vibrate the moisture off its wings. Then back to its slow exploration of the sunflower.
Come to think of it, that’s pretty much how my day has gone.
Mel (Pond Stalker)
16 Sep 2014Ken, those are great photos. I am not a big fan of Bees, but, it is interesting to see them doing their thing up close and personal. Thanks for sharing.
Ken G
16 Sep 2014I learned a long time ago Mel that if you don’t startle them you can get as close as you want. For these I got within a few inches.
I also learned a long time ago that I don’t have allergic reactions to bee stings, so I don’t worry too much.
Howard Levett
16 Sep 2014They’re fascinating creatures until they turn on you.
Ken G
17 Sep 2014I’ve only had that happen once Howard, which is how I know I don’t have allergic reactions to bee stings.
Note to self, big ‘ol bumble bees make their nests in the ground.
Don’t stand on them.
You live and learn.
Jim McClellan
18 Sep 2014Bees don’t much like rain or darkness. We used to move bee boxes at night because that’s when most of them would be at “home.” But they responded by coming outside and attacking anything that wasn’t another bee.
Ken G
18 Sep 2014I’ve been real lucky so far Jim, but I used to feel that way about getting stuck in lightning storms and nothing ever happening. This year there’s been three times when lightning has hit within a hundred yards of me.
I think mother nature is turning on me. Bees are probably next.