Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Bees And Wasps

It seems that this has been a buggy week for me, but not in a bad way at all. In my two previous posts I showed you some strange water bugs and a type of fly that looks very much like a bee, or something or other like that. Well, today I have two more kinds of bugs to show you.

What is that you say? I know I don't usually bring you more than one kind of animal at a time, but I'm feeling generous today. Besides, these two bugs have a common goal and a common place. This wasp you see up above was not alone on these plants that, if my memory serves me correctly, is goldenrod.

Take a look in the right of the picture. There is another set of legs there behind more of these plants. It may be another wasp, but it may be something completely different. There seemed to be a bug party out there this time. I'm glad there was, because it was bugs that I was searching for this time.

I know this second picture doesn't show the wasp very well, but it really serves two purposes. One is to show you that it is not the easiest thing in the world to get pictures of a flying bug that just doesn't seem to want to stop. Two is because I just like the picture. The wasp's behind has that shiny metallic quality that I talked about yesterday. Wasp's behind.

Bee-hind.

On this very same plant, after the wasp decided to leave me, came this bumblebee. It was interested in the same pollen that the wasp wanted. This stuff must be full of it. There were bugs everywhere. Including mosquitoes which weren't at all interested in pollen, but sweet sweet blood. My blood.

But I still stayed there long enough to get these few pictures of the bee and the wasp. I'm so brave. But I wish they would have stayed still for just a few minutes while I got the best bug pictures ever. But of course it just wasn't meant to bee this time. I eventually fled for the sake of the red stuff in my veins.

To bee or not to bee.

But I was still able to get this last picture before it became too much for me. Bee-came? Bee-fore? I think that's quite enough of bees on this site for today. But don't worry. I'll have more very soon. Along with more mosquito bites.

Since I've been featuring bugs here, I thought it might be a good idea to help everyone else along with their search for the buggiest creatures on earth. So I decided it was time to bring you a new online field guide that is all about bugs. You can find it over at Nature Center Magazine today. It's for North America, but I'll be searching for something for the rest of you too.


Nature Center Magazine - We have a new Online Field Guide for you today! It's difficult to bring you more than one article a day, and it is sometimes too much to want to read, so some features wait a little while before the next in the series. I'm happy to say that this one has waited long enough!

15 comments:

  1. It looks like several of us have been in buggy, bee mode lately, Ratty. I guess it's that pollen time of year! It's been fun taking pictures of the critters buzzing all over the place at the Botannical Gardens, almost bumping all over themselves on the flowers. They need to take a number or something!

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  2. Beautiful photos of these bees and wasps! They are out every where now. It's fun to watch them and try to get pictures..

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  3. Love your close ups of the bees and wasps!! Bugs are always interesting.

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  4. They fly high and low, and you have to follow.

    They fly here and there, and you have to follow.

    I am seeing myself as you, a maniac.

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  5. nice pictures man..i have thousands of bees near my house but never took a picture.. nice work man..

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  6. I don't like wasps...they are usually nasty and angry...bees however I love....they are worlds apart from a wasp and have a great part in the circle of life. I have often thought about keeping bees and still haven't totally put off the idea but it requires a lot of research!!

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  7. I enjoy getting down at flower level and catching the local buzz. Have had some wasps chase me a little but never have been stung. I am allergic to the honeybee, but shoot them a lot and have helped harvest honey.Your flower fly you had yesterday is a large set of mimics.

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  8. Ratty, they are all over now. It's so cool to be able to capture them and I've been lucky so far not to be stung.

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  9. You better bee careful when you're out there Ratty. The bees and wasps never seem to bother me too much as long as they aren't building nests on my deck. Those mosquitoes though, boy do I hate those things.

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  10. Ahh, sweet pollination, what would we do without these wonderful insects? Exquisite photgraphs!

    Bill:www.wildramblings.com

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  11. Ratty, What an enjoyable read! The pictures are just icing on the cake!

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  12. Those are very nice bee and wasp photos. And I'm sure you'll get even nicer ones soon. Hopefully without too much mosquito damage!

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  13. learned new words today: beehind, beecame & beefore!!! :)
    great shots of the bee, bytheway. ;)

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  14. You seem to have attracted the kith and kin of bees this time. =D Great shots!

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