Friday, August 6, 2010

Macro Friday--A Lesson on Bees


I'm excited to join Macro Friday this week and give you a lesson on "bees" all in one!  We've got these tree/bushes outside our front door.  I have no idea what they are, but they attract all kinds of bees, flies, butterflies, and other flying insects.   I grabbed my camera and began to shoot whatever would sit still long enough for me to grab a quick macro shot.

***The photo below is my official Macro Friday photo. The rest are just for fun :)***

When reviewing my photos, I realized that I took pictures of 5 different kinds of "bees"!  Me being the curious type (and because of my friend Lindsi's suggestion) I looked up what they were.  In doing so, I learned that not all "bees" are bees!
The above is in fact, not a bee at all!  It's a Syrphid Fly (otherwise known as a Hover Fly).  They mimic wasp coloring to ward off preditors.  These are good guys--their larve eat pest insects such as aphids.
Next is your typical honey bee.  Mmmm...is there fresh honey somewhere near my house?!?
Then we have the Bald Faced Hornet.  It's a close relative of the wasp (see below).  These guys are mean.  They will sting you repeatedly when trying to defend their nest.
Yep, above is a Bumblebee.  There are tons of different kinds of Bumblebees.  This one is a Common Eastern Bumblebee.  It is only fuzzy on it's top half.
Last is a Yellow Jacket.  Contrary to popular mistake, these are not bees.  They are wasps.  Closely related to the hornet above, these guys are agressive too.  They often build their nests underground and are the "bees" that sting you when you mow your lawn.
There you have it, Macro Friday and a lesson on "bees" all in one! 


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19 comments:

Justine said...

lovely shots, really nice

The OriginalPsyn said...

Great shots and thanks for the Apiolgoy (yes I googled it) lesson. That is very cool. What a great project to do with your kids.

Ashley Sisk said...

Thanks for coming by again to tell me I won last week's Macro Friday. I love what you're doing over here and I'm now your newest follower. The bee shot is great and that's always my goal to catch some crazy insect like that on camera. It's been harder than I imagined. Anyways, great work!

carlotta cisternas said...

great shot! love the angle.

Tricia said...

Great shot!! I love that he is about to take off! I also really enjoyed your header, and the premise behind your blog. Great shot.

Susan said...

I love your entry! It's simply amazing! The other shots and information were great, too! I'm like you; I always want to know what everything is! Looking forward to exploring your blog more fully!

CM said...

Thanks for the Bee education! I didn't know there was a difference between bumblebee and honey bee...duh!

Wasps and yellow jackets...nasty! Sure hope you were careful! Were those ALL in your yard???

Buckeroomama said...

Love the pictures... love the lesson, too!

Live Laugh Shoot said...

I love these pictures.

I even think bees are kind of cute now.

Not hornets and wasps, though.

Cheers,
Anne

Jamie H said...

OriginalPsyn--thanks for looking up the word for studying bees!

Ashley Sisk--Capturing small moving insects is definitely harder than it looks!!

CM--Not only are all those in my yard, they're right outside my front door! Did I just scare away all potential visitors? Oops! Just so everyone knows, NO ONE has ever been stung in my yard (yet). :)

Courtney said...

These are beautiful. Love the white flowers and all the detail you picked up. Really nice!

Discovery School at First Baptist Heath said...

Great shots!! and I would never stay away from anywhere just cause God sent some bees.. and becaue they are by my front door as well, and all are welcome. So come get some lemonade and we will take garden and bee pictures together.

Ewa said...

they all so nice, the one that you entered is very good, I like the way you got a shot of the wings

Mama Monkey said...

I did bee's this week too! Great shots and information :)

Unicycle Rose said...

Amazing how your got that bee to hold still and smile at the camera. Lovely work!

Mommy2Four said...

Beautiful! Amazing shots!

Heather said...

Great shots! Thanks for telling us what the different kinds are!

-c-h-i-e said...

beautiful shots and thanks for the bee information. I will be explaining that now to my hubby :D

Laura said...

Gorgeous!! I love love LOVE the colors... the white & green together are lovely. And I love the spread wings in that first shot... great capture!

Beautiful shots and I'm glad you got a chance to play along this week!! :)

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