How often do you see a honey bee "standing upright" to reach nectar?

"Well, I guess I could just buzz up there and grab some nectar! But why not stay right here where I am and just s-t-r-e-t-c-h  like a giraffe to get it?"

This bee, foraging on a Photinia blossom, almost looked like an athlete in training.  Was she stretching to "warm up?"  Was she stretching to improve performance? Flexibility?  Mobility?

Me thinks she was just taking a short cut to the sweet stuff and being a little territorial as other bees buzzed around her.

Our honey bee will return to the hive where workers will process the nectar into honey. Humans will get some of it, too.

If you'd like to sample honey--and mix with entomologists--mark your calendar for Saturday, April 22 and "bee" at Briggs Hall for the annual honey tasting, just one part of the 200 some events at the 103rd annual UC Davis Picnic Day. It's an all-day campuswide open house aimed to educate, inform and entertain.