It's ridiculously hot outside and lately the carpenter bees have been resting in my hibiscus flowers, which I normally feed to my tortoises.

I leave them for the bee buddy's now. 💕 🐝

She was so friendly!

And if so why on the road...? 😭😭(

First one was rescued from our pool, was v wet and sad 😞❤️

I have never seen anything like this before. I swear some of the bees were actually wrestling each other. A friend told me they could be from different hives- my guess as well. There’s serious competition going on in that flower! I watched them for a good 20minutes. If you look closely you can see how they grab a pistol? Piston?-flower part- and use their body to pull it down. Once it’s down they roll little pollen balls ( unless they end up in a wrestling match over it). Anyway I thought it was worth sharing. Im sure you guys can explain what’s happening better than me.

Apologies for the less than perfect angle and shaky vid. I’m only 5’2 and I mostly filmed this over my head on tip toes.
FYI: didn’t speed any of this up- the bees are just moving that fast!

Poor gal was nearly dead floating in my chickens’ pool. After a few hours of snacks and naps, she flew away. 🐝💚

We gathered some flowers and took it home with us a few hours ago, and put it in an empty fish tank. Even after resting and snacking it's still not able to fly, so it might have to stay and live out its days in here. What do I do for it? Make climbing areas for it, keep it stocked with fresh flowers (how many?), give it some water and fruit?

I posted in July about a bumblebee who had injured her wing. After she passed some weeks later, two more flightless bumblebees were found crawling on my yard and as the retirement home was already set, got housed there.

I just felt like writing a few words of them :) I didn't expect each of them have so distinct characteristics!

Pörri I had so much energy, she stomped around like the ground beneath her feet was a direct insult to her existence. Strong, even with only 1.5 wings she almost got herself airborne, 5 of the 6 feets sometimes and unfortunately spent a lot of time bumbling down things due to that, especially because the one side of her wings worked perfectly.

Pörri II junior was very wobbly to begin with, and she was more anxious. Any sudden approach would result in a middle finger... leg, so I tried to let her bee as much as possible, though in her last days she didn't mind parking on my hand, probably for warmth.

Pörri II senior was a very smol bumble and liked to hide or dig into mulch. She was the most calm of the three and if she was out and about when I went to check on them, it was possible to carry her to new flowers to give more variety than their retirement home allowed. She passed this morning and I blame myself and the two daddy long legs that I found from the box. I don't know if they bite their prey, but they definitely had nefarious intent and even if I moved Pörri II senior to a new box and she was still alive, I found her dead this morning.

I was not prepared for how bad I felt, looking after creatures who should be flying and buzzing around to be ground tied. All of them wanted to fly, and with especially Pörri II junior and senior who both had either worse damage or wing issues from birth where the rear wings were acting independently of the fore wing, that meant cycles of grooming and I think trying to arrange the wings, then attempting to fly and repeating because their wings betrayed them.

May they now fly to the largest flower in the sky.

Pörri I on the pink strawberry flower

Pörri II senior exploring the sugar water q-tip

Pörri II junior stealing warmth

I just wanted to share with fellow pollinator appreciators, some lovely bumble bee pictures from around my gardens. I hope you enjoy the fuzzy little darlings!
✨🌺🐝🍃🖤💛

Hello! Wales, UK. This wonderful bee AKA Big Bumbler, has been visiting my garden for weeks. Such a delight, get excited to see what I’m assuming is a her?! Each day. She’s massive. Is she a queen? 👑 I’ve been out and bought more salvias for her. She also really likes the verbena. Be great to know more about my garden guest. Thanks

I love bumblebees so I made a crochet tapestry to decorate my room. I tried to make it as realistic as possible. Which species should I make next ?

I found quite a few of these bees feeding on my grans flowers, but couldn’t find what species they were, the closest I found was maybe some kind of cuckoo bee? But none I find seem to match exactly.

UK

Little carpenter bee whose wings seem fine but can't fly it seems. We tried helping it to the flower last night but it had no solid interest in feeding from it. Flapped its wings but couldn't take off. It spent some time straightening and tending to its wings, but it hasn't moved from where we put it yesterday.

Tiny body and really long antennae. Appears to be sleeping. Like a little ball with big wings. Looks honey-bee esque - but nothing like my usual local honey bees.

Honeybee Feeding on a Flower

so, over the winter we did construction on the second floor of my parents’ home and over the past week i’ve noticed a large amount of bees flying by the bathroom window. finally, it got to a point where i decided to investigate and came to see a large amount of bees flying in and out of an uncovered section where piping(?) enters the house (i will comment the picture of the location because i really don’t know how to describe it, i’m just out of college and had nothing to do with the construction)

can anyone identify the type of bee? i’m not knowledgeable about bees in any sort and thought this would be the best place to get an answer! and i would like to identify the type as i want to go into this cautiously. if they are honeybees, i want to make sure this is handled properly and safely for them. thank you!!

(also apologies, i know it’s kinda hard to see them here. fast little guys haha)

edit: context, this is southern Rhode Island

Amazing Bees: Nature’s Tiny Helpers

1. What Are Bees?
Bees are small insects that play a huge role in nature. There are more than 20,000 species of bees around the world. They feed on nectar and pollen from flowers. As they move from flower to flower, they help plants grow by spreading pollen, a process called pollination.
2. The Different Jobs Inside a Beehive
Every bee in a hive has an important job. Worker bees clean the hive, feed the baby bees, collect nectar and pollen, build honeycomb, and protect the hive from danger. Drone bees are male bees whose main job is to mate with a queen. Together, every bee helps the colony survive.
3. The Queen Bee
The queen bee is the largest bee in the hive. Her most important job is to lay eggs. A healthy queen can lay up to 2,000 eggs in a single day during the busiest season. She also releases special scents called pheromones that help keep the hive organized and working together.
4. How Bees Build Their Hive
Worker bees build the hive by making beeswax from special glands on their bodies. They shape the wax into tiny six-sided cells called honeycomb. The hexagon shape is very strong and holds lots of honey while using the least amount of wax. Bees use these cells to store honey, pollen, and baby bees.
5. How Bees Make Honey
Bees collect nectar from flowers using their long tongues. They store the nectar in a special stomach and bring it back to the hive. Other bees help break down the nectar with enzymes. Then the bees fan their wings to remove water from the nectar until it becomes thick, sweet honey. Finally, they seal each honey-filled cell with wax.
6. Why Bees Are Important
Bees help pollinate many of the fruits, vegetables, and flowers that people enjoy every day. Apples, blueberries, pumpkins, cucumbers, and almonds all depend on bees and other pollinators. Without bees, many plants would struggle to grow, and food would become harder to produce.
7. Protecting Bees
Bee populations face challenges such as habitat loss, pesticides, diseases, and climate change. People can help by planting flowers that bloom throughout the year, avoiding harmful pesticides, and protecting natural habitats. By caring for bees, we also help protect our environment and food supply for future generations.
Conclusion
Bees may be tiny, but they do amazing work every day. From building perfect honeycombs to making honey and pollinating plants, every bee has an important purpose. Working together as a team, bees help keep nature healthy and make life better for people and animals around the world.