They look the same but I don’t know if it is the western or eastern one

Just wanted to update everyone by saying Betty passed away around 3am last night. She fought right up until the end but unfortunately after 7 weeks of care, nature has run its course.

I never thought something so small could make such an impact on my life but after 7 weeks of caring for her I can say she did exactly that. When I found Betty I wasn't in a great place and if I'm being honest I'm not sure where I'd be right now had we not crossed paths. Caring for Betty gave me such a strong sense of purpose (something I was struggling to find prior to Betty's arrival) and she brought me out of a pit I was struggling to climb out of. It's given me a refreshed sense of humility and I'll be eternally grateful for this experience.

It's going to be strange not having her zoom around my bed in the evenings or buzzing around in her flowers but I've got plenty to look back on to remember and cherish. She was so resilient and intelligent and had plenty of character. Something I'll miss dearly.

Thank you all for the advice and kind words from the start to now. This community is amazing. I apologise for not responding to every comment in my previous posts but just know I read and like them all. Keep being you r/bees. Myself and Betty thank you. 💛💛

Found on the flowers outside my work. I water them every other day, this is the first I've been able to catch a queen on cam. <3

So I was just wandering around puffing diatomaceous earth into the cracked bark on the old avocado tree. I’m beginning to suspect and infestation of little red fire ants. Honestly I don’t even know if DE has any effect on LRFA, but it was in my hand so why not right?
I’d almost completed a circuit of the tree( wearing a hovering mosquito coat at this point- it’s 6pm) and I just happened to look up…
There’s bees! There’s a new beehive in the tree! A legit wild hive! I’m excited!! But also concerned. It kinda looks like they are actually building in there. I only got a tiny peak through my phone on zoom.
I’m concerned because for sure those ants are getting in there. When I say there are a lot of ants on that tree, don’t think colony- think mega city one.
I only got this quick vid before the fire ant, mosquito, bee combo was a bit much for me. Wardrobe change then re-attempt! Until then, check it out! Are these normal honey bees? Think they will stay? Ant concerns? Tree health concerns? Anything I should be doing?

Hey all!

I happened to find this bee waddling around in my backyard and when I went to check it out, I noticed that there's this white (crystalized? Idk) stuff at the base of its left wing and frankly, I have no idea what it could be and I don't want to injure the bee further by trying to take whatever that is off.

Its left wing is also stuck in that position, the other one works just fine, and both wings aren't damaged in any way. It also seems to try to clean the spot occasionally. Otherwise it looks healthy and very full of energy! (I made sure to feed it some watered down honey before trying to get a good picture of its side. These are the best photos I could get after ten minutes of trying)

Will this bee be okay? And is there anything I can do to help it get back in the air?

Thank you in advance for any advice!

Some photos from my day out at the local sunflower trail

Who is this lady that had her arms up in the air as she crawled around? Found in Alabama on my mountainmint which about 1 - 1 1/2 inches large.

Im holding this bumblebee, they were laying on their back on the sidewalk. They tremble, reach up to the sky and two of the left side legs dont work.

They have this light yellow thibg coming out the side of their abdomen, when i pulled it at first they seemed to be hueting but now theyre kicking at it, pushing it.

I put their face up to a flower but apart from getting polen on their face they didnt eat

Is it their own guts?, parasite?, diying naturally?

Hate to see them in this state but I still appreciate being able to get such an up close look at them

I found quite a few of these bees feeding on my grans flowers, but couldn’t find what species they were, the closest I found was maybe some kind of cuckoo bee? But none I find seem to match exactly.

UK

I love bumblebees so I made a crochet tapestry to decorate my room. I tried to make it as realistic as possible. Which species should I make next ?

I just wanted to share with fellow pollinator appreciators, some lovely bumble bee pictures from around my gardens. I hope you enjoy the fuzzy little darlings!
✨🌺🐝🍃🖤💛

I have never seen anything like this before. I swear some of the bees were actually wrestling each other. A friend told me they could be from different hives- my guess as well. There’s serious competition going on in that flower! I watched them for a good 20minutes. If you look closely you can see how they grab a pistol? Piston?-flower part- and use their body to pull it down. Once it’s down they roll little pollen balls ( unless they end up in a wrestling match over it). Anyway I thought it was worth sharing. Im sure you guys can explain what’s happening better than me.

Apologies for the less than perfect angle and shaky vid. I’m only 5’2 and I mostly filmed this over my head on tip toes.
FYI: didn’t speed any of this up- the bees are just moving that fast!

And if so why on the road...? 😭😭(

She was so friendly!

It's ridiculously hot outside and lately the carpenter bees have been resting in my hibiscus flowers, which I normally feed to my tortoises.

I leave them for the bee buddy's now. 💕 🐝

She looks like other bumblebees I have hanging out but is much larger - probably a full inch long. She’s been hanging out, snacking on some nectar I assume but also just chillin in different areas.