Posts Tagged: Bombus californicus

Bumble Bees and Tithonia: Perfect Match

A perfect match: a bumble bee foraging on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. Lately we've been observing a bumble bee, identified as a California bumble bee, Bombus californicus, sipping nectar from the colorful orange blooms in...

A bumble bee, identified as a male Bombus californicus, foraging on Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A bumble bee, identified as a male Bombus californicus, foraging on Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male California bumble bee, Bombus californicus, peeks through the flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male California bumble bee, Bombus californicus, peeks through the flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Over here is better. A male Bombus californicus foraging on a Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Over here is better. A male Bombus californicus foraging on a Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The male California bumble bee, Bombus californicus, takes flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The male California bumble bee, Bombus californicus, takes flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Not Just Honey Bees Pollinate Almonds

It's beginning to look a lot like...almond pollination season in California. Almonds usually begin blooming around Valentine's Day, but it's often earlier, depending on where you look or live. Take Benicia, Solano County. Its little hot spots near the...

A yellow-faced bumble bees, Bombus vosnesenskii, forages on almond blossoms in Benicia, Calif., on Feb. 2. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A yellow-faced bumble bees, Bombus vosnesenskii, forages on almond blossoms in Benicia, Calif., on Feb. 2. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This yellow-faced bumble bees, Bombus vosnesenskii, peers up at the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This yellow-faced bumble bees, Bombus vosnesenskii, peers up at the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Flight of the bumble bee. This is a yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Flight of the bumble bee. This is a yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Coming right at you! Bombus vosnesenskii departs one blossom to find another. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Coming right at you! Bombus vosnesenskii departs one blossom to find another. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bed and Breakfast for a Bumble Bee

We just met a male black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus. It was early morning and he was resting on a blanket flower (Gaillardia), a brilliant member of the sunflower family. When you're a bee, a blanket flower offers both bed and...

Male black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, resting on a blanket flower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Male black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, resting on a blanket flower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Dorsal view of a male black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, on a blanket flower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Dorsal view of a male black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, on a blanket flower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Male black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, tastes the nectar from a blanket flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Male black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, tastes the nectar from a blanket flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Taking Possession of the Lavender

Possession is nine-tenths of the law. It also applies to bees foraging on lavender. A black-faced bumble bee (Bombus californicus) this morning stretched between two lavender stems and lingered there--probably to warm its wings for flight. Along comes...

A black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, stretches between two lavender stems as a honey bee moves in to gather nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, stretches between two lavender stems as a honey bee moves in to gather nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

All mine! The black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, takes control. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

All mine! The black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, takes control. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bumble Bees: Why They Thrive and Die

Remember the massive "buzz kill" in Wilsonville, Oregon back in June 2013 when more than 50,000 bumble bees died in a Target parking lot after coming into contact with pesticide-treated flowering linden trees? Ironically, it occurred the first day of...

A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, exits a foxglove in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, exits a foxglove in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, adjusting a heavy pollen load, visits "Purple Ginny" sage in the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, adjusting a heavy pollen load, visits "Purple Ginny" sage in the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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