Most of the activity at the moment is focused around the collards that have bloomed. The bright lemon yellow flowers are attracting other pollinators as well, like fly bees, and lots of little pollinators that are too small and fast to get good pics of.
Another thing I noticed is the bees seemed a little frantic. None of them were doing their typical "lazy summer days" flower-to-flower visit behavior.
They were zipping from one flower to the next like they had a curfew, and they were all fighting with one another. I suspect that a very cold, icy/snowy winter, which is atypical for our area in Georgia, has taken a toll on the local population, and they are frantically trying to catch up now that it has warmed up and the flowers are finally blooming.Something else interesting I noticed is that there seemed to be two different types of honey bee, or at least differently marked. Maybe someone with some bee knowledge can tell me if color variation is normal, or if these little guys are different types.
The bee below seems more "chiseled" or angular than the one above, who has an overall softer appearance. Hard to tell from this pic since the bee below is at a different angle in general.
Any ideas?
I don't have any helpful ideas about the bees, but this post struck me because we're maybe six weeks out from our last frost here in Northern Colorado. We won't see bees very soon, but it's good to see them out and about at your place. Tell them we're looking for them ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, the joy of living further south is we get to see all of this happen early in the year. Of course this is all relative. I'm jealous of people in South Georgia, because they get to grow pretty much year round. Regardless, it is a relief when the bees show up isn't it? It's like promise that everything is about to renew.
ReplyDelete>It's like promise that everything is about to renew.
ReplyDeleteExactly! :-)
Shannon, I love your post on the bees. I am getting ready to do one on honeybees and other pollinators. Your photos are gorgeous! I think all the bees are in trouble (where ever there are pesticides and herbicides).
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Hi Jacqueline,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliments on the pics! I recently heard something about bees that explains their declining numbers.
Apparently a bacterium and a virus that bees normally can handle on an individual basis, have paired up to become a double whammy that the bees can't overcome.
The only hope really is that enough bees are able to survive that survivor queens pass on those genetics that will help the populations recover and keep these diseases at bay.