Too often we consider this our most important bee without considering that it is a species introduced back in the 1600s. This is the generalist commercial pollinator bee that lives in colonies. The male worker bees have a barbed stinger but die after stinging.
This year I discovered Jacob’s Ladder. Actually I bought the plant and once the flowers appeared, followed by lots of insects, I fell in love. Just over a foot tall with an abundance of flowers to entice the honeybees, bumblebees, carpenter bees, mason bees, cuckoo bees, Halictid bees, Andrenid bees, Giant Bee Fly, butterflies, skippers, moths, and aphids – of course! Not to shabby an assortment for those tiny flowers.
Jacob’s Ladder turned out to be rather pretty when I photographed it against a light box. The details and colors were pretty and a bit elegant for this dainty native wildflower.
The Visible Spectrum humans see is very limited in range compared to what other species see. Human sight is in the 380 to 740 nm range while bees are between 300 to 600 range. The ultraviolet light I used was rated at 365nm.
It is always a surprise to see what the plants will look like under ultraviolet light as there is no way of knowing until the image is on the computer. I wore protective yellow eye goggles and had to use a best guess as to how long to shine the UV light and leave the shutter open for.
The bumble bee and assorted relatives pollinate the luscious fruit, appetizing vegetables, and vibrant flowers we have all grown to love.
The magic of the Nodding Onion encompass the range from an edible addition to our foods, treatments for colds and respiratory illness, and a treatment for infections, sores, and swellings. Nodding Onion is dainty and pretty as well as a repellent for moths, insects, and moles.
Nice addition and asset to any yard and garden.
Why is it humans see themselves as the sole asset to Planet Earth?
One can only wonder at the strength needed to carry 30% of your body weight in pollen pellets held in place by long leg hairs during flight. These pollen baskets are properly known as corbicula. Female bees collect pollen gathered by their body hairs and form pellets by mixing the pollen with nectar that they store in a concave area on the tibia of their hind legs. After visiting numerous flowers Mama Saddlebags returns to feed her offspring. Let’s plant those flowers so the bees can pack those bags and fly!
When is a pollen basket a corbicula ? A scopa? A scopa is just another body method of pollen collection and storage. In the Green Metallic Sweat Bee, unlike the Honey Bee or Bumble Bee, the pollen is collected and transported by the hairs of the abdomen.
