Bumble bees foraging on almond blossoms.
Make that the yellow-faced bumble bees, Bombus vosnesenskii, in Benicia.
Sunday morning as the temperatures soared to 62 degrees in the Matthew Turner Park, Benicia, near the Carquinez Straits, bumble bees competed with honey bees for a share of the golden nectar on the blossoming almond trees.
We witnessed near collisions as lumbering bumble bees lugged incredibly heavy loads while their more streamlined cousins, the honey bees, darted, ducked and dipped to avoid them. Definitely a need for air traffic controllers!
"Bumble bee, bumble bee, cleared for take-off."
"Honey bee, honey bee, stand by."
"Bumble bee, bumble bee, permission to land."
"Honey bee, honey bee, exit runway."
"Bumble bee, bumble bee, line up and wait."
"Honey bee, honey bee, cleared for take-off."
What a sight to see and what a beauty of a day to see bumble bees in Benicia.
Attached Images:
A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii,heads for an almond blossom in Benicia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, nectaring on almonds in Benica. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A yellow thorax and face help identify Bombus vosnesenskii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A wing of Bombus vosnesenskii glistens in the sun. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A yellow abdominal stripe helps characterize Bombus vosnesenskii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Time to go! Bombus vosnesenskii departs one blossom for another. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)