Posts Tagged: Bumble Bees of North America

Nighty-Night, Mr. Bumble Bee!

Have you ever seen a bumble bee sleeping? If you slip out to your garden at night or early morning, you might find the male bumble bees asleep in,...

A male yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, sleeps on a Mexican sunflower,Bombus Bombus vosnesenskii,in Vacaville,Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, sleeps on a Mexican sunflower,Bombus Bombus vosnesenskii,in Vacaville,Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This sleeping male yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, clings to lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This sleeping male yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, clings to lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Holding tight is this sleeping male yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, clutching a lavender stem. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Holding tight is this sleeping male yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, clutching a lavender stem. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Remembering the Legendary Robbin Thorp

We cannot imagine a world without Dr. Robbin Thorp. The distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis--he...

Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology, with Franklin's bumble bee, a bee he had been monitoring since 1998. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology, with Franklin's bumble bee, a bee he had been monitoring since 1998. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Co-instructor Robbin Thorp (far right, yellow shirt) at a recent Bee Course, sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History.

Co-instructor Robbin Thorp (far right, yellow shirt) at a recent Bee Course, sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History.

Robbin Thorp was a frequent docent at the Bohart Museum of Entomology where he also did research. This image was taken April 20, 2013. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Robbin Thorp was a frequent docent at the Bohart Museum of Entomology where he also did research. This image was taken April 20, 2013. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Global bee authority Robbin Thorp with two of the books he co-authored in 2014. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Global bee authority Robbin Thorp with two of the books he co-authored in 2014. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Robbin Thorp, a familiar figure in the spring, wearing his vest and trademark hat, and standing in front of a blossoming almond tree on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Robbin Thorp, a familiar figure in the spring, wearing his vest and trademark hat, and standing in front of a blossoming almond tree on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This is the male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, a species that Robbin Thorp showed often at the Bohart Museum of Entomology and at other presentations. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This is the male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, a species that Robbin Thorp showed often at the Bohart Museum of Entomology and at other presentations. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bumbling Into Spring

Might As Well Be Spring"I'm as restless as a willow in a windstormI'm as jumpy as puppet on a stringI'd say that I had spring feverBut I know it...

A black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, heads for a nectarine tree in Vacaville, Calif. on March 18. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, heads for a nectarine tree in Vacaville, Calif. on March 18. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, forages on nectarine blossoms. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, forages on nectarine blossoms. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Delicate pink blossoms and a very hardy bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Delicate pink blossoms and a very hardy bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Hey, Honey Bee, I'll Race You to the Flowers!

Hey, honey bee, I'll race you to the flowers. Okay, but you'll lose. I can go faster. Watch me! The scene: a male bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus,...

A honey bee and a bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, head for the same patch of lavender. This image was taken in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee and a bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, head for the same patch of lavender. This image was taken in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, sips nectar from a lavender blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, sips nectar from a lavender blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

In this photo, you can see the bumble bee's tongue or proboscis, as it sips nectar from lavender. This is a male Bombus melanopygus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

In this photo, you can see the bumble bee's tongue or proboscis, as it sips nectar from lavender. This is a male Bombus melanopygus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

It's off to another blossom. A male bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, heads for more nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

It's off to another blossom. A male bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, heads for more nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bumble Bee Mellowing Out on the Mallow

Nice to see you! That's how we greeted our very last bumble bee of 2016. The yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, apparently came out of...

It looks like...it is! A yellow-faced bumble bee,Bombus vosnesenski, seeking nectar from a mallow blossom at the Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

It looks like...it is! A yellow-faced bumble bee,Bombus vosnesenski, seeking nectar from a mallow blossom at the Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, sipping nectar on mallow on Nov. 14 in Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, sipping nectar on mallow on Nov. 14 in Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Side view of yellow-faced bumble bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Side view of yellow-faced bumble bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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