Bee Galleries
We’ve all heard that “pictures speak louder than words”. Here are some of my favorite images and videos of our native bees at work, and the results of their labor. Enjoy!
Spring has Sprung – and so have the Bees!
Although I’ve taken hundreds of photos of the bees emerging from their cocoons and nesting (hooray for digital film,) there’s always something new that surprises me. So have a look – and if you capture some cool bee activity that you’d like to share, please send it to me, and I’ll post it here, with kudos to you.
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Our Bee Houses in the Community
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Our mission at Our Native Bees is to educate people about our valuable and efficient native pollinators, and to help them increase solitary bee populations in their own communities as a supplement to honey bee pollination. We’re proud to say that our Plan Bee Houses now grace the gardens of many schools, parks, corporate headquarters and historic homes throughout the area. Take a look at who has our Plan Bee Houses hanging in their gardens!
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Let the nesting begin!
Nesting tubes plugged with mud.
These bees are so fascinating to observe, which is why I take so many photos of them! The first time you hear them crunching out of their cocoons in early spring, you’ll be hooked. You’ll watch them haul mouthfuls of mud and nectar, see their fuzzy bellies covered with yellow pollen, observe the way they back into the nesting straw to lay an egg or brush pollen from their abdomens, hear the loud buzzing if another insect enters their nest, witness the precision with which they cap a straw with mud or leaf pieces — and you’ll never have to worry about being stung!
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Not just Mason Bees inside these straws!
Not Just Mason Bees Inside!
Native bees are not the only ones who want to take advantage of the nesting straws: You won’t believe all the strange, cool (and sometimes pretty nasty) things you’ll find when you open a nesting straw. Sometimes these nesting straws have been invaded by mites, parasitic wasps or spiders. The thin brown things in this photo? That’s not grass! Have you guessed it yet? Spider legs! Some scenes may not be suitable for younger viewers ;-)
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Evil lurks in dirty nesting straws
Emerging bee covered with mites.
Many people think that drilling holes in a piece of wood is providing healthy nesting sites for native bees. Think again. If you don’t line the nesting holes with replaceable paper straws – whether you buy them or roll them yourself – you may be doing more harm than good.
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Fall is the time to unwind your straws!
Lots of healthy bee cocoons!
Not only do I think fall is the most gorgeous season (at least here on the mid-Atlantic coast,) I also love it because I can finally unwrap those nesting straws and see how the bees fared over the spring and summer! I’ve had quite a few surprises over the years, so take a look . . .