Posts Tagged: Bombus melanopygus

Hear the Buzz, Feel the Buzz, Capture the Buzz

Hear the buzz, feel the buzz, capture the buzz! With your camera! If you're into pollinators, plants and photography, and want to share your work...

A black-tailed bumble bee (Bombus melanopygus) foraging on Spanish lavender, while a honey bee buzzes in to get her share. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A black-tailed bumble bee (Bombus melanopygus) foraging on Spanish lavender, while a honey bee buzzes in to get her share. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bees lovin' the Spanish lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bees lovin' the Spanish lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bumble Bees Apparently Not Parasitized

Apparently they're not parasitized. The three queen bumble bees (Bombus melanopygus) we found circling our porch lights the night on Jan. 9...

Newly released queen bumble bee foraging on pansies. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Newly released queen bumble bee foraging on pansies. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A sip of honey to fuel her flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A sip of honey to fuel her flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Queen bumble bee heads into the entrance of a nuc box, which may be her new home. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Queen bumble bee heads into the entrance of a nuc box, which may be her new home. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Lovely Ladies at the Laidlaw

So far, so good. The three queen bumble bees (Bombus melanopygus) we found buzzing around our porch light the night of Jan. 9 are still very much...

The three queen bumble bees (Bombus melanopygus). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The three queen bumble bees (Bombus melanopygus). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bumble bee expert and UC Davis emeritus professor Robbin Thorp checks the trio. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bumble bee expert and UC Davis emeritus professor Robbin Thorp checks the trio. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

'Zombie' Bumble Bees?

This is the story of what may be three parasitized bumble bees.  Or to put it more precisely, three Bombus melanopygus queens. Early this...

The "porch light" bumble bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The "porch light" bumble bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A little nourishment for this queen bumble bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A little nourishment for this queen bumble bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This is the bumble bee-rearing chamber/observation box that Robbin Thorp built. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This is the bumble bee-rearing chamber/observation box that Robbin Thorp built. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bumble Bee in Benicia

A journey to the Benicia (Calif.) Capitol State Historic Park, Solano County, on Christmas Day yielded the unexpected: a black-tailed bumble bee,...

Black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, heading for jade blossoms. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, heading for jade blossoms. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Black-tailed bumble bee targeting jade. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Black-tailed bumble bee targeting jade. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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