Posts Tagged: queen bee

It's Bee-ginning to Look a Lot Like...

It's bee-ginning to look a lot like Christmas...  All hail our littlest agricultural worker. European colonists brought the honey bee (Apis mellifera) to what is now the United States in 1622.  Specifically, the bees arrived at the Jamestown...

A feral honey bee colony (now gone) from a backyard in Vacavile, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A feral honey bee colony (now gone) from a backyard in Vacavile, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Inside a managed hive at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Inside a managed hive at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A bee-utiful Christmas wreath, designed and crafted by Ellen Keatley Rose of Castle Rock, Wash. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A bee-utiful Christmas wreath, designed and crafted by Ellen Keatley Rose of Castle Rock, Wash. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Thank a Farmer, Thank a Beekeeper

You may have missed it, but today (Thursday, Oct. 12) is National Farmers' Day. The day originated back in the 1800s as a way to recognize and thank farmers for all the work they do to feed our nation--and the world. It's also time to thank a...

Two honey bees want the same pomegranate blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Two honey bees want the same pomegranate blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee pollinating an apple blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee pollinating an apple blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A new beekeeper examines a frame during a UC Davis honey bee course at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Niño and her staff teach classes for the public. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A new beekeeper examines a frame during a UC Davis honey bee course at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Niño and her staff teach classes for the public. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

What's Better than Sighting a Bumble Bee?

What's better than sighting a yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii? Well, a newly emerged Bombus vosnesenskii queen. On the last day of June, we spotted this fresh queen-looking foraging on our blanket flower (Gaillardia). Her jet-black color,...

A newly emerged yellow-faced bumble bee queen, Bombus vosnesenskii, eyes the photographer as it forages on blanket flower (Gaillardia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A newly emerged yellow-faced bumble bee queen, Bombus vosnesenskii, eyes the photographer as it forages on blanket flower (Gaillardia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Yellow-faced bumble bee shows its distinguishing marks. This is a queen Bombus vosnesenskii, about 21mm long. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Yellow-faced bumble bee shows its distinguishing marks. This is a queen Bombus vosnesenskii, about 21mm long. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Up and away! A distinguishing feature of Bombus vosnesenskii is the yellow stripe, T4 segment of its thorax. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Up and away! A distinguishing feature of Bombus vosnesenskii is the yellow stripe, T4 segment of its thorax. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Day in the Life of a Virgin Queen Bee

We've all read stories dealing with "A Day in the Life" of principals, presidents and princesses. We're probably familiar with The Beatles' song "A Day in the Life," the final song on their Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.  But do you...

Bees buzz around David Tarpy (far left) and his students. (Photo courtesy of David Tarpy)

Bees buzz around David Tarpy (far left) and his students. (Photo courtesy of David Tarpy)

David Tarpy (in red), who received his doctorate in entomology from UC Davis, is a noted honey bee biologist and beekeeper. (Photo courtesy of David Tarpy)

David Tarpy (in red), who received his doctorate in entomology from UC Davis, is a noted honey bee biologist and beekeeper. (Photo courtesy of David Tarpy)

Watching the Girls Go By

Pull up a chair and engage in a little "girl-watching." That is, honey bees heading home to their colony. Many beekeepers, especially beginning beekeepers, like to watch their worker bees--they call them "my girls"--come home. They're loaded with...

Honey bees making a "bee line" for their home. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bees making a "bee line" for their home. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Note the load of yellow pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Note the load of yellow pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Queen bee and her retinue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Queen bee and her retinue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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