Backyard Nature Wednesday: Bee battles

When the redbud trees are in bloom, they are pollinator magnets. Bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators all love these little flowers, but it seems that bees love them most of all. Bees of all kinds, both native bees and honeybees, respond to the call of the blossoms.

Most of the time, all these different pollinators feed together in perfect harmony, but yesterday I observed what appeared to be a battle between two bees - although quite honestly most of the "battling" seemed to be on one side.

A large carpenter bee - big black bee - was feeding peacefully on the blossoms when a bumblebee seemed to take exception to his presence. He buzzed the other bee and bumped into him, seemingly trying to dislodge him from the flowers. (The carpenter bee is on the left, bumblebee on right.)






The angry buzzing and bumping went on for several minutes. Meanwhile, the carpenter bee seemed totally oblivious and continued placidly enjoying his visit to the flowers. Finally, the bumblebee gave up and moved along.

Peace reigned once again.

Comments

  1. I love watching animals and insects interacting with each other - it's so fascinating. Your redbud blossoms are gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The redbud tree has been especially glorious this spring. I think it benefitted from the cold spells in winter.

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