I found this bee on the entrance to the hive. She was soaked to the skin (this was a day, long long ago, when we had hard rain) & I thought she was dead or dying b/c she was so docile. But she shook off the rainwater and all seemed OK. Then I saw what I thought was a big hole in her thorax area. Injured? Attacked by other bees? Dying? Maybe none of the above. In studying a diagram of a bee I saw that there is a distinct separation between the thorax and the abdomen. I think maybe it was more apparent on this bee b/c (a) you don't often get such a good look at a bee, and (b) the rain had matted down her hair. Bees have lots of hair that gathers pollen -- sort of like static electricity -- while they are gathering nectar. I think I got all of that right. Counting on Kitt to correct any errors.
3 comments:
I remember playing Insect Lifeguard as a kid at my parents' pool. Bees look totally different when soaked through like that! :o)
They do have narrow little waists. Hmm. Maybe all the time I've spent so up-close to bees to know that means I'm cut out for beekeeping. :D I suppose it's also a good sign that when I got into a hornet's nest recently, I went back ten minutes later to get a close look at the nest. . .
They are so fuzzy! But they do have tiny tiny waists.
It's amazing to think that all the important organs are in the back end. The front is just muscle, with nerves and tubes passing through from the head.
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