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Happenings in the insect world
Sharing a Sunflower
Kathy Keatley Garvey
Published on: August 26, 2009

If you're in the right spot at the same time, you may get a double bonus: a non-native bee and a native bee on a native plant.

We took this photo in Healdsburg last week of a non-native bee (the common European or Western honey bee, Apis mellifera) and a native sweat bee (Halictus ligatus) sharing a plant native to the Americas: the sunflower. 

A golden moment.

TWO ON A SUNFLOWER--A honey bee (Apis mellifera) and a female sweat bee (Halictus ligatus) share a sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Two on a Sunflower
TWO ON A SUNFLOWER--A honey bee (Apis mellifera) and a female sweat bee (Halictus ligatus) share a sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

CLOSE-UP of a honey bee and a sweat bee clearly illustrates the size disparity. The honey bee is covered with pollen from a nearby hollyhock. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-Up
CLOSE-UP of a honey bee and a sweat bee clearly illustrates the size disparity. The honey bee is covered with pollen from a nearby hollyhock. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tags: Apis mellifera (34), Halictus ligatus (6), honey bee (234), sunflower (4), sweat bee (20)
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