A Common Cader Bumblebee pierces an unopened Common Toadflax flower to get to the nectar inside

The male of the species is more skinny and has these extra long antennae (and no pollen collecting brushes on the hind legs). This rare bee is normally very closely associated with purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria). On this day I found a few feeding on thyme, although there were some on a patch of purple loosetrife nearby.

Common Carder Bee | Bombus pascuorum | Apidae On Russian Sage | Salvia yangii | Lamiaceae

Explored on 2nd September 2020 #479

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2020.

Buff-Tailed Bumblebee Queen | Bombus terrestris | Apidae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2022.

. . . Clap Your Hands

Honey Bee | Apis mellifera | Apidae on Himalayan Balsam | Impatiens glandulifera | Balsaminaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2021.

Buff-Tailed Bumblebee Queen | Bombus terrestris | Apidae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2022.

My first sighting of this rare bee.

• European honey bee / western honey bee

• Abeja doméstica / abeja europea / abeja melífera

Scientific classification

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Arthropoda

Class:Insecta

Order:Hymenoptera

Family:Apidae

Genus:Apis

Species:A. mellifera

Paso Centurión, Cerro Largo, Uruguay

Honey Bee | Apis mellifera | Apidae on Himalayan Balsam | Impatiens glandulifera | Balsaminaceae

Samsung NX1 & Kiron 105mm f/2.8 Macro

Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2022.

This is a queen of Bombus lucorum or terrestris (they can't be reliably told apart in photos). An impressive insect, at around 2.5 cm (an inch) long. This is one of the new queens, which are starting to emerge in the late Summer; they will mate and overwinter to start their new colonies in the Spring.

Buff-tailed Bumblebee | Bombus terrestris | Apidae On French Lavender | Lavandula stoechas | Lamiaceae

Samsung NX1 & Helios 44M - 58mm f/2

10mm Macro Tube | f/4 | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2021.

The most likely candidate is the rare Nomada sexfasciata. This species is a brood parasite of Eucera, which were visiting the same patch of flowers. My photos did not show all the characteristics to be sure, here, however on the day I did see an individual which was almost certainly a female of this species.

This Bumble Bee was busy going from flower to flower enjoying the sweet summer nectar.

I do not see a pollen basket on its back legs so I believe this is a male.

-Bombus bimaculatus

Apis mellifera or Honey Bee.

Without them we could go hungry. We really need to look after them!

One of a few species of cuckoo bumble bees we have locally. The queen finds a colony of another species, such as the common carder bee (B. pascuorum). She kills the queen and takes over the workers.

Taking a rest

Common Eastern Bumble Bee — Apidae

borinot

Buff-tailed Bumblebee | Bombus terrestris | Apidae

Samsung NX1 & Helios 44M - 58mm f/2

16mm Macro Tube | f/4 | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2022.

White-Tailed Bumblebee (m) | Bombus lucorum | Apidae on Creeping Thistle | Cirsium arvense | Asteraceae

Samsung NX1 & Helios 44M - 58mm f/2

10mm Macro Tube | f/4 | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2020.

Spain; La Mata, Alicante 4/5/23

A member of thr Apidae family of True Bee's and bumbles.

• Black bumblebee

• Mangangá negro / abejorro del páramo

Scientific classification

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Arthropoda

Class:Insecta

Order:Hymenoptera

Family:Apidae

Genus:Bombus

Possibly Bombus pauloensis Friese, 1913 (= B. atratus)

Taxonomic revision: bit.ly/2lE4Asq

Santa Regina, Colonia, Uruguay

N. striata or hirtipes female. These are very similar and difficult to separate without a microscopic examination (shape of the jaw tip, bristles on the end of the hind tibia and micro hairs on the dorsal side of the antennae ).

Common eastern bumblebee - APIDAE

A tiny pale Carder Bee | Bombus sp. | Apidae on Ice Plant | Hylotelephium spectabile | Crassulaceae

Samsung NX1 & Steinheil Munchen 'Cassar S' - 50mm f/2.8

16mm Macro Tube | 12 Aperture Blades | f/4 | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2020.

Spain; La Mata, Alicante 4/5/23

• Black bumblebee

• Mangangá negro / abejorro del páramo

Scientific classification

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Arthropoda

Class:Insecta

Order:Hymenoptera

Family:Apidae

Genus:Bombus

Possibly Bombus pauloensis Friese, 1913 (= B. atratus)

Taxonomic revision: bit.ly/2lE4Asq

Salinas, Canelones, Uruguay

• Black bumblebee

• Mangangá negro / abejorro del páramo

Scientific classification

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Arthropoda

Class:Insecta

Order:Hymenoptera

Family:Apidae

Genus:Bombus

Possibly Bombus pauloensis Friese, 1913 (= B. atratus)

Taxonomic revision: bit.ly/2lE4Asq

Santa Regina, Colonia, Uruguay

Tree Bumblebee | Bombus hypnorum | Apidae and Dalmatian Bellflower | Campanula portenschlagiana | Campanulaceae

Samsung NX1 & Helios 44-2 - 58mm f/2

16mm Macro Tube | f/3.2 | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2020.

Megachile binominata ♂

Leafcutter Bee

Blattschneiderbiene

Bladskærerbi

The female is shown in the previous image!

Endemic to Fuerteventura and Lanzarote

At Aeonium lancerottense

Exposure time (= flash duration): 50 µs = 1/20.000 s

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If you like my pictures of insects in flight, you should visit my special website on insect flight:

www.insektenflug.de

Wenn Ihnen meine Bilder fliegender Insekten gefallen, besuchen Sie bitte meine Homepage speziell zu diesem Thema:

www.insektenflug.de

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PLEASE, NO AWARDS, no Copy and Paste Comments and no group icons like "your wonderful photo was seen in group xyz". They will all be deleted as soon as i see them.

BITTE KEINE AWARDS, kopierte Kommentare oder diese Gruppen-Icons wie "Ich habe Dein wunderbares Bild in Gruppe xyz gesehen". Die lösche ich sobald ich sie sehe.

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Bombus rupestris is a species of cuckoo bumblebee belonging to the Apidae family and is found almost throughout Europe. Females have a size of 18 - 22 mm, males from 14 - 16 mm. The species needs no workers because it parasitiizes the nests of Bombus lapidarius.

Lasioglossum viride ♂ (probably)

Sweat Bee

Furchenbiene

Vejbi

Body length 7mm

At Aeonium lancerottense

Exposure time (= flash duration): 50 µs = 1/20.000 s

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

If you like my pictures of insects in flight, you should visit my special website on insect flight:

www.insektenflug.de

Wenn Ihnen meine Bilder fliegender Insekten gefallen, besuchen Sie bitte meine Homepage speziell zu diesem Thema:

www.insektenflug.de

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

PLEASE, NO AWARDS, no Copy and Paste Comments and no group icons like "your wonderful photo was seen in group xyz". They will all be deleted as soon as i see them.

BITTE KEINE AWARDS, kopierte Kommentare oder diese Gruppen-Icons wie "Ich habe Dein wunderbares Bild in Gruppe xyz gesehen". Die lösche ich sobald ich sie sehe.

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• Black bumblebee

• Mangangá negro / abejorro del páramo

Scientific classification

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Arthropoda

Class:Insecta

Order:Hymenoptera

Family:Apidae

Genus:Bombus

Bombus pauloensis Friese, 1913 (= B. atratus)

Taxonomic revision: bit.ly/2lE4Asq

Salinas, Canelones, Uruguay

Apidae

Buff-Tailed Bumblebee Queen | Bombus terrestris | Apidae

Samsung NX1 & Super-Takumar - 50mm f/1.4

10mm Macro Tube | 8 Elements | f/3.2 | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2021.

• European honey bee / western honey bee

• Abeja doméstica / abeja europea / abeja melífera

Scientific classification

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Arthropoda

Class:Insecta

Order:Hymenoptera

Family:Apidae

Genus:Apis

Species:A. mellifera

Salinas, Canelones, Uruguay

Apidae

• Black bumblebee

• Mangangá negro / abejorro del páramo

Scientific classification

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Arthropoda

Class:Insecta

Order:Hymenoptera

Family:Apidae

Genus:Bombus

Possibly Bombus pauloensis Friese, 1913 (= B. atratus)

Taxonomic revision: bit.ly/2lE4Asq

Santa Regina, Colonia, Uruguay

Early Bumblebee | Bombus pratorum | Apidae

Samsung NX1 & Helios 44-2 - 58mm f/2

10mm Macro Tube | f/4 | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2020.

Chiang Dao NS, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Order : Hymenoptera

Family : Apidae

Genus : Xylocopa

Species : Xylocopa latipes

A veritable giant that can reach up to 35mm in length.

I have recently uploaded a new set of Thailand pics on my website. Mostly butterflies but a couple of other things as well. Please have a look - bugs-alive.blogspot.com

All my insect pics are one shot, hand-held macros of live insects in the wild.

A nice start to the 2023 insect season, with a number of typical spring species, like this one.

Eastern carpenter bee extends through the Eastern United States and into Canada. They nest in various types of wood and eat pollen and nectar. In Xylocopa virginica, females are responsible for reproduction, foraging, and nest construction, though they may sometimes have help from their daughters. The eastern carpenter bee is similar to most other bee species in that it does not have a queen

The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant material such as dead wood or bamboo.

Buff-Tailed Bumblebee | Bombus terrestris | Apidae pollinating Cherry Plum | Prunus sp. | Rosaceae

Samsung NX1 & Helios 44-2 58mm f/2

10mm Macro Tube | Wide Open | Manual Focus | Available Light | Handheld

All Rights Reserved. © Nick Cowling 2021.