Pleased with this bee!

[Paul Iddon]

We got a small bee hotel in autumn last year and I have placed it on the wall in the garden and let it become naturalised.

Now I'm pleased as punch to find a red mason bee taking up residence.

Paul.

 

[Asher Kelman]

I saw a bird sanctuary in Israel where there were by the water’s edge, thick bamboos which inhabited by bees too!

Asher

 

[Brooke Cagle]

The photograph of the bee is well-composed and captures the subject in a natural and unposed way. The bee is the image's main focus, and it is well-lit and in sharp focus. The background is blurred, which helps to draw attention to the subject. The image's colours are muted, giving the image a calm and peaceful feel. Overall, this is a well-taken photograph that captures the beauty of nature.

 

[Paul Iddon]

Thank you both.

There are five holes filled in now so she has been a very busy bee.

Paul.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Paul May I add my bee!

 

[Jerome Marot]

That last one is a common honeybee. Nice picture, they are not easy to photograph when foraging.

The first one is a different kind of bee, possibly in the genus osmia.

 

[Robert Watcher]

That last one is a common honeybee. Nice picture, they are not easy to photograph when foraging.

The first one is a different kind of bee, possibly in the genus osmia.

I came up with the same results. And it appears that the first bee is Osmia/Red Mason

 

[Jerome Marot]

There are several insects in the genus osmia and, as far as I know, they can only be identified by looking at their head, which we do not see on the picture.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Is there some bio mechanical reason why we don’t have horse and elephant size insects?

 

[Jerome Marot]

Yes, several. For once: the way they breathe limits their size. They don't have lungs, but spiracles: little openings along their bodies, connected to a duct bring oxygen directly to the organs. The ducts are difficult to ventilate if they are too long.
Their exoskeleton also causes problem: first it does no grow (which is the reason for the larvae and metamorphosis, although some insects and marine arthropods can shed it and grow again) and the way the joints are designed is not adapted to large structures, especially if they need to bear weight. Marine arthropods can grow larger (and even that has limits), but they don't bear the weight.