Yikes. It was not my intent to cause any dissension in the ranks. My comment about combining the threads was meant as a joke since I'm often confused about where I'm posting photos. At my age, I'm easily confused about a lot of things...I certainly didn't mean to open a can of worms (or caterpillars as the case may be). I like the people on both threads and think Melanie does a great job as moderator. That being said, I will do my best to stay in compliance - but I'll probably mess up again. Henceforth, I'll try to post my butterfly photos in BOTH places just to be on the safe side.

Meanwhile (let me check: Yes, I'm in the right forum) here are a couple of bonafide bee photos.

For those of you who didn't already see it on my Silver Springs thread, I bought a solitary bee box from one of the vendors.



If you're interested, she has a website and an Etsy shop. I'm currently reading about the best place to mount my new bee box. Well, the best place for Dad to mount it. Here's the website: http://www.creativegardenstruc...

mellielong said:I think the only post I've ever deleted was a duplicate someone posted in the wrong thread and they asked me to. Oh, and I posted birds in the butterfly thread once by accident so I had to edit myself.

Please delete my duplicate grasshopper. That was an accident.

(CNN)The pictures are heartbreaking: Millions of honeybees lie dead after being sprayed with an insecticide targeting Zika-carrying mosquitoes.

"On Saturday, it was total energy, millions of bees foraging, pollinating, making honey for winter," beekeeper Juanita Stanley said. "Today, it stinks of death. Maggots and other insects are feeding on the honey and the baby bees who are still in the hives. It's heartbreaking."
Stanley, co-owner of Flowertown Bee Farm and Supply in Summerville, South Carolina, said she lost 46 beehives -- more than 3 million bees -- in mere minutes after the spraying began Sunday morning.
Juanita Stanley says she lost more than 3 million bees.
"Those that didn't die immediately were poisoned trying to drag out the dead," Stanley said. "Now, I'm going to have to destroy my hives, the honey, all my equipment. It's all contaminated."
Stanley said Summerville Fire Capt. Andrew Macke, who keeps bees as a hobby, also lost thousands of bees. She said neither of them had protected their hives because they didn't know about the aerial spraying.

SpringGreenThumb - done! Grasshoppers freak me out. Didn't mind deleting that duplicate!

Char, we talked about that story a bit on the BBB articles thread. Just terrible.

GrammaChar said:(CNN)The pictures are heartbreaking: Millions of honeybees lie dead after being sprayed with an insecticide targeting Zika-carrying mosquitoes.

"On Saturday, it was total energy, millions of bees foraging, pollinating, making honey for winter," beekeeper Juanita Stanley said. "Today, it stinks of death. Maggots and other insects are feeding on the honey and the baby bees who are still in the hives. It's heartbreaking."
Stanley, co-owner of Flowertown Bee Farm and Supply in Summerville, South Carolina, said she lost 46 beehives -- more than 3 million bees -- in mere minutes after the spraying began Sunday morning.
Juanita Stanley says she lost more than 3 million bees.
"Those that didn't die immediately were poisoned trying to drag out the dead," Stanley said. "Now, I'm going to have to destroy my hives, the honey, all my equipment. It's all contaminated."
Stanley said Summerville Fire Capt. Andrew Macke, who keeps bees as a hobby, also lost thousands of bees. She said neither of them had protected their hives because they didn't know about the aerial spraying.

Heartbreaking is right.

I have to give kudos to my county, Hillsborough County, FL. The past two weekends they have held "tire amnesty" days where residents could bring in up to ten old tires each. The thinking being that water collects in old tires and mosquitoes breed in them. Also, they were handing out free mosquito-eating fish! Many of us live near lakes, ponds, retention ponds, wetlands, etc. They've also been posting on Facebook about getting rid of standing water, flushing out plants that hold water such as bromeliads, etc. Even in Miami, where they actually had locally transmitted Zika, they went around the neighborhoods educating people, giving them pamphlets and bug spray (to spray on people), and they sprayed only in the affected area. I read today where they now declared one of the neighborhoods Zika-free. I think it said something about it taking a combination of two pesticides.

And while that still may not be ideal, it's certainly better than aerial spraying a large area, that, to my knowledge, only had travel-related cases of Zika. Has anyone read where the Carolinas had any locally transmitted cases? Because that's what really baffled me. Why use the equivalent of a nuclear bomb to kill an ant? I just didn't get it. Especially when I compared that to what's going on in Florida where we actually have locally transmitted cases. Not a lot, but a few. Very strange and a huge overreaction, I thought. Just my two cents.

Getting the public to participate seems so reasonable. How about passing out free Dunks? I applaud the efforts in your area. Hope everyone will cooperate.

nativeplantlover said:
Sure looks like a Bumble bee Was the weather colder lately to make it fumble?

Converting to the American system, it's been 45F (night lows) to 70+F (day highs) recently.

That may very well explain the stumbling bee because they lose muscle function and can no longer fly when temperatures drop down to about 50F.

It is a heartbreaking and frustrating issue with the pesticides being used, killing so many bees and other necessary pollinating insects! I have a half acre pond that is self sufficient as far as taking care of the mosquitoes and their larva with the fish, dragonflies, frogs, lizards, bats, birds and other mosquito eating creatures.

Besides killing the mosquitoes and other pollinators, the pesticides can also destroy the mosquito eaters over time!

Queen on mist flower.



Bee loaded with pollen.



Not sure this is a bee. ???

Yeah, the last few nights have been cold, though some bee-like insects are still flying. There was one on the hostas today.
Anyway, just in case someone wants to see them, here are the remaining decent images of the bumble bee:

Soooo ~ I've been a bit disappointed in the flowering Bidens. I thought it would be attracting much more insects but I never see anything buzzing around it. So, yesterday I went to take a closer look to see what I could see. Boy was I in for a shock! As soon as I got close, I could see a couple of skippers but they weren't moving.

Apparently, Big fat crab spider has been eating good!!




At the same time this skipper had been captured by an Ambush Bug!!


I went back later and they both must had finished their meals, since the skippers were gone.

Tried to get a closer look at the interesting ambush bug. Looks like I need to try again.


I did see another tiny pollen bug. A mosquito.

Poor skipper....but great shot of that mosquito!!!!

Snow on the peaks earlier this week. These little ones are SO busy today. They know it's coming...


And...beeface!!!

Awesome honey bee pics, Asa! Hard to pick a favorite but I guess #4 is my winner.

Christine, I think I needed a warning before those pics! I know, it's nature, but it still makes me sad. I'll just be in the corner repeating, "Circle of life."

Today it was all about the "Littles". During a break in the rain, I found

a small shy bee



a little fly



a tiny spider



and a 1/2" painted grasshopper seeking shelter in the vines!

Thin waisted wasp, again at 'Intenz' -



< wasp and BB < wasp and fly


Carden bee I believe >


Some kind of fly acting like a bee? >


Flies >


< grasshopper >


Cricket >bug >and green bee >


One of the smallest fliers I'm able to get a pic of > < kind of looks like a flying ant


BB






< looks like a junior sized BB

@GrammaChar - Neat, especially that hopper!
You were posting while I was setting up, but I too have some smallers featured, the flying ant and a 'junior' BB.