We finally saw a break in the clouds on Sunday and the Sun came out for what seemed like an all too brief moment. I took the chance to see if the honeybee's were enjoying the sunshine.
I suspect in the coming weeks you will be inundated with photos of bees...and chicks....
Since I have to stand back some from the hive and don't have a fancy camera, I was pretty impressed with this photo below.
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| Click on me to enlarge |
If you look real close, you can see some of the bees returning to the hive with their back legs [aka, honey baskets!] filled with pollen! Pretty cool, huh!
Fact: Bees have a slightly concave area on the tibia of their hind legs surrounded by hairs. These are called corbiculae, or 'pollen baskets'. As the bee is foraging, it uses its forelegs to brush the pollen from its body back into the corbiculae where it is trapped. You can often see this -- look for (usually) yellow lumps on the bee's hind legs. (source)
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2 comments:
Great picture! I have stood in front of my hive before waiting to try to get a good picture with a bee carrying pollen and they often turn out blurry. Do you have a beekeeper place their hives in your orchard year round or just during this time of the year?
Vanessa - Yes, we pay for a beekeeper in our area to bring in her hives just during bloom in the orchard. This is our first season trying this out :)
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