Posts Tagged: Norman Gary

Retractable Landing Gear: Bee Approaches an Artichoke

When you're a honey bee and you're packing pollen and approaching your landing--an artichoke thistle--it's a good idea to clean your proboscis (tongue) first. Caught in flight: a honey bee doing a little grooming.  This one hovered like...

A honey bee begins cleaning her proboscis (tongue) before landing on a blossoming artichoke. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee begins cleaning her proboscis (tongue) before landing on a blossoming artichoke. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The honey bee finishes her grooming--cleaning her tongue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The honey bee finishes her grooming--cleaning her tongue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Landing interference? The honey bee spots another bee blocking her landing. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Landing interference? The honey bee spots another bee blocking her landing. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

All clear below! A honey bee touches down on the artichoke thistle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

All clear below! A honey bee touches down on the artichoke thistle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tower of Jewels: Christmas in May?

Christmas in May? When it's in full bloom, the aptly named "tower of jewels," Echium wildpretii, which can tower as high as 10 feet, looks very much like a Christmas tree. Think of the brilliant red blossoms as red bells. Native to the...

Honey bees can't get enough of the tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. The plant yields both nectar and pollen. The pollen is blue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bees can't get enough of the tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. The plant yields both nectar and pollen. The pollen is blue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee peers through the blossoms of the tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee peers through the blossoms of the tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

If a Queen Bee Were to Celebrate Mother's Day...

If a queen bee were to celebrate Mother's Day (and she won't because she's too busy laying eggs), what a crowded festivity that would be.  Bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey of Washington State University, former manager of the Harry...

A queen bee (No. 58) and her retinue. This image is from Susan Cobey's colony.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A queen bee (No. 58) and her retinue. This image is from Susan Cobey's colony.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The queen bee is much larger than the worker bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The queen bee is much larger than the worker bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

'Bee Man' Norm Gary Weighs in on 'Blessed Bees in the Bell Tower'

You've heard of "bats in the belfry," right? Well, how about "bees in the bell tower"? The Epiphany Episcopal Church of Vacaville, Calif., has just that: bees in its bell tower. (See Bug Squad blog, Blessed Are the Bees.)  When consulted,...

Honey bees head into their home in the the bell tower of the Epiphany Episcopal Church, Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bees head into their home in the the bell tower of the Epiphany Episcopal Church, Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Street scene of the bell tower at the Epiphany Episcopal Church, Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Street scene of the bell tower at the Epiphany Episcopal Church, Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

I Am Honey Bee; Hear Me Roar

Honey bees have nothing on the late Helen Reddy (Oct. 25, 1941-Sept. 29, 2020), an Australian-born singer who roared like a lion: "I am woman, hear me roar." Her hit song, "I Am Woman," released in 1972, became an anthem for the women's...

A honey bee heads for the lion's tail, Leonotis leonurus, in Vacaville, Calif. on a sunny day in December.

A honey bee heads for the lion's tail, Leonotis leonurus, in Vacaville, Calif. on a sunny day in December.

Ahh, just what this worker was looking for. The plant meets her needs and the needs of her colony. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ahh, just what this worker was looking for. The plant meets her needs and the needs of her colony. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Word spreads that the lion's tail is the "place to bee." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Word spreads that the lion's tail is the "place to bee." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This pollen-packing honey bee is oblivious to everything but her plant, the lion's tail. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This pollen-packing honey bee is oblivious to everything but her plant, the lion's tail. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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