#introduction Hi, I’m new here, but I’m giving this Mastodon thing a try! I’m an ecologist by training, currently teaching intro bio to undergrads. I’m an #insect enthusiast with particular love for #bees, #wasps and other garden critters. I have a chaotic good #vegetablegarden and plant lots of #nativeplants for the yard critters. I’m also a #twinmom and #vegetarian#cook. Don’t have a #dog yet but I love to see photos of your #dogs. What are you #reading right now?
Over on tiktok user @nomadicpancakes has observed a group of #bees that have learned to turn on the sensor on a water bottle filling station by walking over the target.
This is just the kind of thing bees are made to learn, they love targets and need to follow them when dealing with flowers all the time.
The interesting thing is that the bee who hits the target produces water for her sisters, herself less so. But these #eusocial girls seem to have that worked out!
In case anyone’s not too sure.. this is what a 'spring lawn' is supposed to look like.
Breakdown:
• No irritating lawn-mower lines.
• A multitude of flowers.
• Lawn-mower rests, unperturbed in garden shed.
• No Louis X1V - 'rules over nature'.
• No walking up and down for hours, making a really annoying, loud noise and irritating the neighbours.
Bees (that are not our bees) took over the shed. My daughter (a beekeeper) had to remove them. As she was working, a small child passing on a trike looked terrified and shouted 'Bee Men!'.
We’ve had a lot of people enquiring about and commenting on #bumblebees asleep on #flowers, especially at this time of year, so here’s a quick (long)🙄 thread explaining what’s going on.
I've been waiting for some time to get this particular photo. But this morning- success!
This is one of our more common native bees, the ligated furrow bee Halictus ligatus. Although I have photos of this species already, I didn't have any that clearly showed the diagnostic backwards-pointing tooth on the back of the head. But here it is, in stark silhouette, and I'm quite pleased.
Honey bees and social wasps independently evolved hexagonal cells in their nests, but in some species, cell size dimorphism creates an inherent tiling problem. This study shows that despite independent evolutionary origins, building materials, and comb configurations, all species solve this architectural problem using the same...
#Bumblebees only store a few days' worth of pollen and nectar. When their stores run low, they may bite the leaves of such plants as tomatoes or mustards, which can cause the flowers to bloom days to weeks earlier. The hungry #bees repeatedly bite the leaves and stretch the holes. It's possible that this stress accelerates flowering. Researchers have tried to replicate the effect but failed. Whatever secret sauce the bumblebees use remains a mystery. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/pollen-deprived-bumblebees-may-speed-plant-blooming-biting-leaves
I made water-drinking stations for bees. They love it!
During the hot, dry part of the year, you can really help your local bee population by providing water. Fill a large bowl with stones of different sizes and water. Float a few sticks or corks on the surface. Refill the water when it evaporates. #permaculture#nature#gardening#bees
So there's this Greek myth that says Zeus was fed by bees when he was born. In gratitude, he blessed them with the color of "shining bronze", and made them immune to cold and harsh winds. These bees lived in Zeus' sacred cave in Crete, and aggressively chased away anyone who tried to steal their honey.
Any #apiarist or #entomology expert out there who could tell me what these bees are by any chance?...
Preparatory to a subsequent toot, I share this excellent chart of a Comprehensive Guide to Yellow Stripey things that I wish I could attribute, but I cannot. Possibly via @rosemarymosco who is very informative about bugs, birds, nature.
This beekeeper forgot to insert the frames in the hive in which the bees collect the honey. The hardworking insects then built their own architecture from the honeycomb so that the air can flow freely and maintain a stable temperature #bees#beehive#insects#nature
Primrose pollen is bound by sticky viscin threads that make collection difficult for non-specialist pollinators. Here, a honey bee struggles but persists with a load. Texas.
Honey bees and social wasps reach convergent architectural solutions to nest-building problems (journals.plos.org)
Honey bees and social wasps independently evolved hexagonal cells in their nests, but in some species, cell size dimorphism creates an inherent tiling problem. This study shows that despite independent evolutionary origins, building materials, and comb configurations, all species solve this architectural problem using the same...