As the hostas bloom, I start to look at the bees that are collecting nectar. I want to cut the hosta flowers because they don't match my colour scheme. However, there are so many bees that I give in and only cut the most straggly flowers.
These bees are on wisteria - if only a hosta could be this beautiful. These look like bumble bees to me - I don't really know how to identify bees. Like most people I take them for granted. I find out there are fifty species of bumble bees in North America. They live in colonies, headed by a queen who is the main egg-layer. I found a site where a bee had been identified - pink 38 - and her movements tracked for a summer.
Solitary bees make up the largest percent of the bee population. I have a solitary bee house that needs to get up - their nests are in hollow reeds or twigs, so it is an easy nest to make.
There are 20,000 different species of bees in the world, and there are 6.5 billion bees - I guess we will have to share as there are over 7 billion people - so less than a bee for every person. Plant some hostas and you will get more than your fair share.
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