#Bee Identification

✨Feral Appalachian Honeybees✨ “Hey, there’s bees in a tree and the storm just dropped it.” So you load the log, bring the whole wild colony home like a bee EMT. You set them up. You try to help. You whisper, I will protect you, forest children. And later that day? They said no thanks and moved into a Lowe’s bucket. FERAL. UNGOVERNABLE. ICONIC. ✨Appalachian bee chaos, emergency response, mystery, and then… a hardware-store plot twist✨

We all have heard and believed most of our lives that bees live in hives while that's partial truth, not all bees live in hives. Solitary bees like mining bees, mason bees, leafcutter bees, carpenter bees don't make honey and they live pretty diverse and wild lives. (Solitary bees, Nomia sp, megachile, Halictidae,Xylocopa, carpenter bees, sweat bees, ground nesting bees, miner bees, mason bees, leafcutter bees, bees that don't live in hives, bees that don't produce honey , native bees, myth about bees, truth about bees, myth buster, girl giving bug information) #nativebees #notallbeesarehoneybees #carpenterbees #leafcutterbee #bugmythbusters

A systematic review of the literature by Mallinger et al. found consistent evidence that managed bees can negatively impact wild bees. 🔎 53% of studies reported harm through competition for floral resources. 🦠 70% found negative effects linked to pathogen spillover. Managed bees are vital for crop pollination—but when deployed at high densities, they threaten native bee populations through competition and disease transmission. We urgently need more long-term, population-level research to fully understand how honey bees affect wild bee abundance and diversity over time. 🌼🐝 Mallinger RE, Gaines-Day HR, Gratton C (2017) Do managed bees have negative effects on wild bees?: A systematic review of the literature. PLoS ONE 12(12): e0189268. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0189268 #pollinatorhealth #saveallthebees #insectconservation #pollinators #bees Video: Central bumble bee (Bombus centralis) foraging narrow-leaved blazingstar (Liatris punctata)

There’s something powerful about turning a real-world challenge into a hands-on learning opportunity especially when it involves bees. This week, our bees in schools program got a very important treatment for one of the biggest threats to honey bees worldwide, the Varroa mite. Instead of using chemical treatments, our students helped carry out a thermal heat treatment and it became an unforgettable science lesson in the process. Understanding the Enemy: Varroa Destructor The Varroa destructor is a parasitic mite that feeds on honey bees and their developing brood. These tiny reddish-brown mites attach to bees, weakening them by feeding on their fat bodies and spreading viruses throughout the colony. If left untreated, an infestation can collapse an entire hive. Rather than just reading about this in a textbook, our students saw firsthand how science, biology, and responsible stewardship come together in real life. Why Thermal Heat Treatment? Thermal heat treatment works because Varroa mites are more sensitive to heat than honey bees. By carefully raising the temperature inside the hive to a controlled level (typically around 42°C ) for a specific period of time (2.5hours), we can significantly reduce mite populations without harming the bees or contaminating honey with chemicals. This method gave students the opportunity to learn about: Bee anatomy and life cycles Parasites and host relationships Integrated pest management Temperature regulation in living systems Ethical and sustainable farming practices They observed how we monitored internal hive temperatures, discussed why precision matters, and talked through what could happen if temperatures went too high or too low. Learning in Action Students helped: Inspect frames and identify signs of mite presence Set up and monitor the thermal treatment equipment Record temperature data Discuss colony health before and after treatment It became a lesson in data collection, critical thinking, and teamwork. More importantly, it showed them that protecting pollinators requires knowledge, care, and responsibility. #handsonlearning #beeeducation #stemeducation #educators #beekeeper

Introduced Megachile (Eutricharaea) chrysopyga, laden with Corymbia calophylla pollen ! See some cool macro photos of her and other bees in my Native Bees of the Jarrah Forest collection, available on my Patreon The Bee Babette https://www.patreon.com/posts/137693159?utm_campaign=postshare_creator . . . #marri #megachile #bees #nativebees #leafcutterbee @eucalyptaus @carnabyscrusaders @defendthewild @wabetterbynature @walovesnature @waforests

Is this a bee? 🐝 Is it a fly? 🪰 The answer might surprise you 👀👇⁣ ⁣ 👇⁣ ⁣ 👇⁣ ⁣ 👇⁣ ⁣ 👇⁣ ⁣ 🐝💚 It’s a green sweat bee! 💚🐝⁣ ⁣ Here are two key ways to tell them apart from flies: ⁣ ⁣ 🔎 Bees have two pairs of wings, while flies only have one pair ⁣ 🔎 Bees have longer antennae than flies ⁣ ⁣ Sweat bees are important native pollinators – have you ever spotted one out and about? 👀🐝⁣ ⁣ #nativebees #sweatbees #bees

When it’s cold and you have to wiggle your butt a little to get the engine started. Just a couple of Amegilla boys warming up this morning for takeoff. 🐝😄 Bees vibrate their flight muscles to generate heat, warming their bodies enough to power their wings and take flight on cool mornings. #pollinatorgarden #nativebees #bluebandedbee #naturephotography #gardenlife

This tiny bee builds her nursery out of leaves. 🌿🐝 This is a Leafcutter bee, one of our incredible native pollinators. Unlike honeybees, she lives a solitary life and nests in hollow stems or small cavities in wood. She’ll cut perfect little circles from leaves and carry them away to build her nest. Known as a super pollinator, one Leafcutter bee can do the work of up to 20 honeybees. 💪🐝 Follow along to discover more of the vital pollinators sharing our forests and gardens. 🌼🐝 — leafcutter bee, native bees, solitary bees, pollinators, forest wildflowers, sweet peas, pollinator education, native pollinators, Canadian pollinators, nature learning, beekeeping life, forest pollinators, save the wild bees, Canada native bees #hiveandgrove #insects #wildlife #pollinators #beekeeper

It’s so much better than seeing it in pictures 🐝✨ I absolutely love bringing my education hive into schools and showing children what’s really going on inside a native bee hive. We talk about pollination, we explore the life cycle of bees, but seeing it all happening is just the best! They get to see the brood structure with the eggs, sometimes even the queen and all the busy workers. They watch the pollen pots being filled and the honey pots slowly filling with nectar from the flowers. It brings learning to life in the most incredible way. My little education hive is looking perfect at the moment and I can’t wait to share it during the native bee incursion with some lovely schools! #NativeBees #Pollination #schoolincursions #econesteducation

I always tell my students 'you have to know what's normal before you can spot anything abnormal' This cute little hatching bee is very normal. But right next door is capped pupae which is not! That uncapped brood in a line tells me that a wax moth caterpillar has chewed its way past my pupae and probably killed them 😭 Wax moths lay eggs in beeswax, once the eggs get warm enough they hatch into caterpillars which eat through the beeswax to find pollen and bee pupal caccoons to feed on - even if the bee is still in that caccoon! They do much more damage to stored comb but can still be extremely annoying in live hives, especially if your colony is weak. When they chew through the caccoons they often inadvertently chew the developing bees wings so when it hatches it can't fly 😓 A big strong colony will always keep wax moth down but this sneaky one was staying under the cover of the pupal caccoons because it knew it would be swiftly removed! I want to thank whoever it was on social media that taught me to tap the side of the frame to get the wax caterpillar to come out because it works really well 🥰 It's like a magic trick 🤣 Happy beekeeping everyone 🐝 #bees #babybee #honeybee #waxmoth #beepest

Every bee has her own tiny built-in GPS 🐝 Those looping flights aren’t random — they’re learning exactly where home is. Orientation flights: the first lessons in navigation. We could watch these loops all day — notice how they figure it out. Can you spot all the little moves? 🐝 —––– bee orientation flight, hive entrance activity, honeybee learning, pollinator behavior, beekeeping education, bee behaviour, beekeeper’s life, apiary life, beehive entrance, bees in flight, hive rhythm, beekeeping visuals, calming nature reel, bees flying in and out #beekeeping #honeybees #savethebees #pollinators #hiveandgrove

Remember that swarm trap I set??? We have a new colony now!!!🐝💛 They are calm and loving their new home. Just a reminder that if you see a bee swarm, do not panic!!! Swarms usually remain in one spot for a few hours to a couple of days while scout bees search for a permanent home, once found, the swarm moves on. Make sure to avoid disturbing them, keep children and pets away and DO NOT spray water, insecticide, or throw objects. They will be on their merry way very soon💛 Bees are vital pollinators. Species like the Western honey bee play a key role in pollinating crops, supporting ecosystems and maintaining biodiversity. Protecting swarms helps support local agriculture and native plants 💛🐝 #savethebees @vampfarms @flowhive