I have lots of flowers AND shrubs that feed the bees, also. Food for them is not the problem, it is the disappearance of them that has us all worried, and rightfully so. You are very fortunate to have that many at your house, but it just isn't so everywhere.

Beautiful! Your photos are very sharp. What kind of camera and what setting are you using?

Yes, we still have some bees around, thank God. We hope and pray what ever is causing the sudden disappearance the bee keepers are reporting will be discovered and rectified.

I realize that there is a problem. I have been following the story in the news and from friends in research at the University of California, Davis. In fact, I just read an article in the NY Times (4/24)'Honeybees Vanish, and Scientist Race for Reason'. They called it "Colony Collapse Disorder", and said there is no singular reason for the decline, but researches think it is due to a combination of bee keepers feeding the bees high-fructose corn syrup (and other supplements), reduction in natural forage areas, a yet to be identified micro organism present in bee DNA, but mostly are looking at environmental toxins and pathogens (such as systemic pesticides) as the number one reason for the bee decline.

I just simply thought some pictures and reports of healthy bee populations could be encouraging to all of us flower/plant/vegi lovers out there...

Yes, and thank you ...

Beautiful pics indeed!

I'd also bee interested in knowing the camera, setting and lense used.

Roselee/queencrimson - is is a little point and shoot, 5.1 MP, 24x zoom digital camera from HP (HP photosmart R707). For me to shoot butterflies, it is easiest for me to put it on the 'action' setting and use the 'macro' setting at the same time. This allows me to get close, but also to catch them mid wing beat.

Downside of this camera is that it seems to take forever to process each picture after you take it. The butterfly, your kid, the bird, the dog or whatever gets away and you are left waiting...I have the need for speed!! It does have a 'burst' setting that lets you take 4 pictures at once, but then it just takes four times as long to 'process'...

Otherwise I like it.
Hope this helps...

My Hercules Club tree is literally dripping with bees, wasps, butterflies, and flies right now (not to mention it has a lovely lemon-lime scent). I have lots of things blooming right now, but everyone seems to favor that tree when it's in bloom.

Carla in Rowlett

There are more bees in most areas than you realize. As a beekeeper, I signed up with the county agent to remove swarms for people. This time of year I get several calls a week, sometimes several a day. I never realized it until I started keeping bees.

I've seen lots of bees, but have noticed that they don't have pollen on their back legs like they usually do. Don't know if I'm nuts or not, but that's what I've noticed.

Beautiful photos! My salvias are starting to bloom, but I haven't seen any pollinators interested in them, yet. My black and red wasps seem more interested in flying low to the ground, right over the turfgrass. I can only guess that they are the predatory type of wasp and they are eating bugs? Thankfully none of us have gotten stung from stepping on one...yet.

I've had bees most of the winter and all spring. A neighbor had a really nice wooden fence installed behind her house. In the past year, they've had 3 swams removed from the fence. I know it's a really big problem, but wonder if it is regional?

thanks for the great photos and the photo tips.
cynthia

Fairysoapgirl, pretty flowers, great pics

Cynthia, I had them all winter too on the rosemaries.
They disappeared after the last cold snap. They are coming back, there were quite a few a couple of days ago
One test will be when the Big Crepe blooms and if you can hear it humming from several yards away, lol
jolana

I like your pictures, too. What's that round thing in the background of the picture of the fly?

The problems with the bees means there's all the more reason for us to all plant more flowers. We're doing our duty to dig up more lawn and plant more perennials, annuals, herbs, shrubs and trees that flower, so we can save the bees. Seems like a good excuse to me. :-)

Sally

Our Mexican Heather covered in bees, and for some reason they like this one elephant ear...go figure. God is so Good! How could we think for one instant that HE is not on top of this???

Bees are very selective. They will fly 2 miles over stuff we think is good to get to something that they really want. Also, it takes quite a bit of some things to get them interested, especially in the spring when everything is blooming. Consider that bees work a 2 mile radius around the hive, up to 4 miles in a dearth. That's 8000 acres normally and up to 64000 or so when pushed. It takes alot of blooms for a bee to make a living. Bees bring in both pollen and nectar. When there is a nectar flow on, more bees will be bringing in nectar. Early in the year, January through March, they bring in more pollen as they are building up the brood for the nectar season. It takes a lot of worker bees to store a surplus of honey.

That's interesting.

I've been seeing a lot more butterflies this year, more variety in species. I wonder if the lack of bees has anything to do with that. Maybe there's a competition thing going on. I do know that honey bees out compete the native bees for food. Maybe they out compete the butterflies too. However, I also have noticed that butterflies and bees don't necessarily nectar on the same plants, so that may be a non-issue. Never mind me, I'm just babbling.

Sally

Thanks for all the compliments... Sorry it took me so long to reply!

Sally2 - that round thing in the background is a solar sphere light.

We finally have a few bees on the Russian Sage and salvias but not nearly what we had last year...our yard had a constant 'buzzz' last summer. We do have tomatoes and squash so something is pollinating them...hope they work on the watermelon and cantelope, too!

Peggy

I've been outside for several hours everyday since it stopped raining so much about three weeks ago and have not seen a single bee. Not even one.

I've seen tons around my trumpet vine lately. I know they are the good guys & not killer bees because I have to put my head right there with them to turn on the water & they don't try to bother me.

They are all over my vitex and buddleias. I am happy to see the bees.

I've seen a few, but not that many.

So that's what that is. Pretty cool.

Sally