Thursday, July 11, 2013

Busy as a bee! A Close up of Bees Collecting Corn Pollen.

Happy Thursday my fine friends!
 It was a gorgeous overcast day here in Utah.
 And since it was 104
degrees yesterday...we will take a cooler, cloudy day. (We will probably get rain this afternoon, which is a real blessing this time of year!) As I commenced my morning chores I heard a magnificent noise. It was a gentle buzzing, but as I got closer to my garden, it got stronger. I turned on the water in a few furrows and when I got to the corn I found the source of the buzz.  I love the sound of buzzing bees! And I love this time of year when the corn is all tasseled and the bees go to work. They are so busy collecting pollen from the corn. They take the pollen back to their hives in baskets located on their back legs. (And some gets stuck on their hairs too!) They eat this pollen as their source of protein. They eat it, feed it to their young and store it for winter use. It is truly amazing to watch. (It may be just my fascination with bees in general, but I just love to watch them work!) They amaze me with their efficiency and determination. I had to postpone continuation of my chores to take in the grandeur of my bees. I ran back into the house for my "good camera" I had the Iphone, but that just doesn't do these girls justice! Tomorrow I am going to attempt my first Instagram video. I want you to have the full effect! It just isn't the same without the sound and in the pics below, I am only showing one corn stalk. I have 3 rows of corn in which there are several (5-12) bees on each stalk. The sound and sight is amazing! Being a beekeeper, this isn't the first time I have witnessed the bees collecting pollen from my corn, however I am still in awe! They are such amazing creatures. What is even more interesting is that I can walk through these rows of corn where there are literally hundreds of bees and they fly and buzz around me, but they don't sting me! They know I'm the gardener here and as long as I don't threaten them I can get quite close and observe, listen and walk through doing my work also. One of my favorite times of the year right here! Here are a few of the shots I captured today.

To the next tassel, in a hurry!
I can count 5 in this shot.
The rows. Oh how I love to walk them and listen to them buzz!


Close up of one of my girls.

I caught this gal in mid flight.
Hope you have loved seeing my working girls (bees) as much as I love them. Have a "Fancy Day" from "Patch-A-Heaven!" My Instagram handle is @fancyewe if you want to follow. I will attempt to catch these ladies on video in the morning. Wish me luck!!

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