Blue Pollen Collector - _TNY_0468
Honey bees and bumblebees gather pollen on their hind legs in a pair of corbiculae, but most other (but not all!) have a particularily dense and elongated section of hairs on their hind legs known as scopae (singular: scopa) instead.
This femaleGwynne's mining bee (Andrena bicolor) has, as evidenced by the blue pollen in her scopae, been visiting the Siberian squill (Scilla siberica) around our house as those have pollen of this colour.
Blue Pollen Collector - _TNY_0468
Honey bees and bumblebees gather pollen on their hind legs in a pair of corbiculae, but most other (but not all!) have a particularily dense and elongated section of hairs on their hind legs known as scopae (singular: scopa) instead.
This femaleGwynne's mining bee (Andrena bicolor) has, as evidenced by the blue pollen in her scopae, been visiting the Siberian squill (Scilla siberica) around our house as those have pollen of this colour.