The western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis), one of the focal species of the conservation strategy, is currently under review for listing under the Endangered Species Act. This specimen was collected on western mountain aster (Symphyotrichum spathulatum) at a site on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest south of Cle Elum and photographed as part of the Pacific Northwest Bumble Bee Atlas. After recording information about the bee it was released, unharmed. (Photo: Ed Lisowski.)
Specifically, this one. First, Albert Einstein never said that.
Secondly, and more importantly, that is NOT a honey bee, or even a bee at all. That is a bee fly, a very important, very cute pollinator. However! They have parasitoid larvae! This means that they lay their eggs in the larvae of other bugs. Those eggs hatch, and those larvae eat the bug they're in from the inside out. Sounds horrible, but it's the way of things and I cannot understate how important these guys are.
The reason I'm annoyed about the picture of choice isn't even that they didn't picture a bee (not even in the right order- bees are hymenopterans. Flies are diptera.) What's really grinding my absolute gears about the choice here? Bee flies parasitize bee larva.
If you're going to use the wrong picture, at least don't use the picture of something that actively kills what you're trying to protect instead of the animal you're protecting.
Also, honeybees, Apis mellifera, don't need protection. They're fine. They're invasive in North America, even. Humans take care of them just fine. I'm a beekeeper, and I love them, but that's not where our efforts should be. We should be trying to protect native bees, there are a whole bunch that I bet you've never heard of that need help.
Anyway, rant over. Sorry, I just could not let that one go.
saved a common eastern bumblebee from my pool. it was too exhausted to fly so I ferried between flowers for awhile to help it regain its energy. after lots of flowers and some sugar water, it finally had the strength to fly and feed itself :)
This is a big deal! While the importance of pollinators has been in the headlines more over the past few years, a lot of the focus has gone toward European honey bees, which are not native here in North America. This new plan focuses specifically on our native bumble bees, to include severely declining species like the western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis).
What's really cool is that they've targeted the ecoregions that are likely to have the most species of threatened bumble bees. It doesn't mean they won't do anything elsewhere, but when you have limited resources you want to make them have as much impact as possible.
In the meantime, consider this a reminder to add some native plants to your yard, garden, and/or porch, say no to pesticides and other yard chemicals unless absolutely necessary, and spend a little time learning about the native pollinators in your area!
Bumble bees play, according to new research led by Queen Mary University of London published in Animal Behaviour. It is the first time that object play behavior has been shown in an insect, adding to mounting evidence that bees may experience positive "feelings."
The team of researchers set up numerous experiments to test their hypothesis, which showed that bumble bees went out of their way to roll wooden balls repeatedly despite there being no apparent incentive for doing so.
The study also found that younger bees rolled more balls than older bees, mirroring human behavior of young children and other juvenile mammals and birds being the most playful, and that male bees rolled them for longer than their female counterparts.
• despite her fear of them, enid saved a bumblebee that she found on their balcony because she knew that wednesday secretly liked those types the most.
• due to being a late bloomer, enid was still an outcast to the other wolves. every month, wednesday and thing would sneak out and keep enid company until morning.
• ^ of course wednesday did threaten to do unspeakable things if enid dared to tell anyone
• ^ thanks to a certain vampire, everyone knew anyway
• enid came to stay with the addams so her mother couldn’t send her to summer camp. morticia and gomez absolutely adored her, though they were a bit apprehensive about all the… colour…
• ^ morticia and gomez had a bet going: who would ask who out first
• ^ neither. yoko did it for them
• enid agreed to watch a horror movie with wednesday if wednesday agreed to watch a romcom
• ^ now they have horror night thursdays and romcom mondays
• ^ enid almost wolfed out after a jumpscare and they had to fix the mess before thornhill or weems saw
• wednesday threatened xavier until he let enid join the nightshades
• enid joined wednesday and eugene’s beekeeping society and grows to love bees.
• enid makes crochet plushies. due to her newfound love for bees she makes three - two black and yellow ones for herself and eugene, and a black and white one for wednesday
• ^ enid has caught wednesday hugging the bee in her sleep
• due to her transformation on the night of a bloodmoon, wednesday secretly worries that enid might not be able to control herself or possible new abilities
The Renaissance World Tour: Show 30 - Ford Field Stadium - Detroit, Michigan (7/26/23).
Beyonce is wearing custom Louis Vuitton designed personally by her friend Pharrell Williams. I love the little metal bees placed throughout her jumpsuit!!! 😍🥰🤩🐝