Bees and Water by Braman’s Wanderings

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honey bees, providing water, water

We often see pictures of bees collecting nectar from flowers and blossoms, but they also need to collect water. The bees use water to cool their hives, help feed their young and also to keep honey at the right hydration level.

Read full article with more photos at:  Bees and Water — Braman’s Wanderings

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High Altitude Honey Bee by 67steffen

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bee photos, photography

The honey bee in this shot, taken yesterday, is about 14 feet off the ground in the middle of ivy growing on a pergola.  Its wings are beating at 11,000 times per minute along with around 500 other bees in this ivy. The buzzing is very loud. I’m standing on a step stool with a 50mm SLR–bees are whizzing by me. This is nuts. But I take the photo regardless.  

Folllow more daily photos from the lens of: 67steffen

Honey Bee Speed: 100 Flowers Per Hour by 67steffen

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bee photos, photography

The typical honey bee (female forager) will visit 100 flowers in an hour’s time before returning to the hive to drop off collected pollen. The bee will repeat this process about ten times in a day. I like to say the honey bee travels at a speed of 100 FPH, even though it  beats it wings around 12,000 times per minute.

View original article here: Honey Bee Speed: 100 Flowers Per Hour — 67steffen

April Showers Bring May Flowers by settling for bees

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art, honey bee forage, nectar flow, nectar sources, spring nectar flow

Treat yourself today to a visit to this interesting article filled with beautiful pictures of the current nectar flow sources in Maryland. ~SassafrasBeeFarm

And the nectar flow!  The Maryland nectar flow relies upon tulip poplar, black locust and blackberry, all beginning to bloom as my scaled hive proves with steady increases of five to seven pounds each day last week.  As we revel in warm weather, watching our busy girls returning to the hives with full bellies of nectar and fat pollen pants, it’s time to think about…the fall.  While there’s an abundance of blooms outside this month, have you considered what your bees will eat after you harvest honey and the supplemental plants are spent?  We can take a lesson from the bees and plan now for what’s to come.

Read full article and see the beautiful pictures here: April Showers Bring May Flowers — settling for bees

Vegetable Gardening for Honey Bees by settling for bees

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bee photos, beekeeping, honey bees, photography, planting for bees

These cold winter days don’t allow for much gardening time.   Like many of you, I’ve been considering the possibilities that spring planting offers lately, particularly as seed catalogs pile up and lure me into their pages with colorful spreads of summer’s bounty.

Last week, it was warm enough for bees to fly.  I went out back without the restrictions of a heavy coat, feeling as light and carefree as my honey bees navigating and searching for any available food sources.  I let the chickens out, watched my honey bees flying for a while and considered garden options for the spring.  I even brought a nice cup of hot tea outside, sweetened with my girls’ honey, of course.

For more excellent honey bee photos and suggestions for vegetable gardening plantings for the bees visit: Vegetable Gardening for Honey Bees — settling for bees

Honey Bee’s Proboscis by Christine R

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bee photos, honey bees, proboscis

The bird’s water bowl and the top two tiers of my fibreglass pond dried up while we were away, even though the weather was predicted to be coolish.

Wandering around with the Nikon D3000 today, I spotted bees visiting the refilled ponds. I was surprised to see the unfurling of a red proboscis (tongue), not having photographed one before.

For more great honey bee pictures please visit: Honey Bee’s Proboscis — Christine R