Let the Bees Sleep....

 "If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth ....man would only have four years to live.." -Maurice Maerterlink, "The Life of the Bee"

 One of the things I like to do, every so often, is take a gander at the centres of the flowers. Looking for bees, of course. A summer past-time that lasts till fall. Some years I have not found any. this year, I think I hit the jack pot.

 Bees need the weather to be 50 degrees or more, so they can continue flying.When they sleep in the flower centres they can stay warmer. Waiting for the morning sun.

 It means that by nightfall they must get tired. Just like any living thing.Sleepy bees.

 And lo and behold, they will snooze on water flowers are available . Sometimes inside pods.They love to sleep inside foxgloves and on Verbascum ( giant wild sunflowers).

 Hanging on. Sitting on top. Inside.  Asleep. Safe.

 "The bee's life is like a magic well: the more you draw from it, the more it fills with water..." -Karl Von Frisch, "Bees: Their Vision. Chemical Senses and Language."

 Bees forage till night time, and if too far from their nest will rest till around 10am, give or take. When I first saw bees do this,a few years ago, I thought they were all dead. But just stroking their fuzzy backs showed they were alive. They hum, and their feet twitch. 

 Female bees will carry pollen sacks on their legs. The males will not. Males are more interested in going after the queen bee. 

 Bumblebees are quite calm and collected. Unless their space is invaded. It is said  they stick out their legs showing how annoyed they are. They will dive bomb. But only when threatened. It's perfectly natural to be able to work around  bees in the garden, and not be bothered.

 "Bees have so much to offer us, if we just listen...."
                                           -Jay Ebben, "Painted Hives"

 I usually find bees in the early morning,when everything is quite damp with dew.  The bees are damp, the flowers are damp.

That's when it's okay to pet the bees...they are in a sleepy stupor yet.

 Bees need to find food as soon as they are able. They love verbeena, cosmos, geranium, roses, california poppies,foxgloves.......anything that blooms all summer. 

 "Bees are the battery of the orchards and gardens...guard them..." -Carol Ann Duffy, "The Bees"

 Other plants that bees LOVE are lavender, sage, anenome, chives, salvia.......

 To re-energize all those bees, it is a good idea ( if you have the time) to provide an "energy drink" , so to speak. Mix 2 tablespoons of sugar with one tablespoon of water and leave on an upturned small saucer. Don't add any more liquid or the bees could drown.

 This "energy drink" can actually save a bee from starving. Bees are actually in decline, due to pesticide use mostly. 

 And if it means letting them sleep in the flowers and giving them sugar water , then so be it. One bee  at a time.Every year the bees return here;  I hope their numbers are getting larger. I would like to think so. I love stroking their fuzzy backs and hearing their whimsical hum as they wake up to begin the day......

 "A bee hung low in the afternoon haze.He listened to the dull electric razor sound of its wings cutting the air....and a hundred eyes watched him from the dark..." - Michael Montoure, "Slices"

Photographs 2018