Giant bee

[valis2]

So I have a minor obsession with bumblebees (they're so snuggly!), and our sunflowers attract several of them.

Two days ago I was watering them, and I noticed a rather freakishly large bumblebee (maybe one of the wood borers?). I tried taking pics, but they didn't come out well because of the angle of the sun.

Yesterday, though, I was able to take a few. I took a pic of a regular bumblebee so you could see that the freakishly large bumblebee was at least twice her size, but I couldn't get both in the shot, so it wasn't really helpful.

I don't think these adequately represent how large this bee is. First, you must remember that these sunflowers are NOT the normal, giant sunflowers. They're the small kind.



I attempted to use my finger for scale, but unfortunately, the bee moved, and is foreshortened, so you're still not getting an idea of how large this thing is.

Comments

[kakiphony.livejournal.com]

We had those huge, furry bees in our garden in Michigan. They especially loved my lavender. I've not seen a single one since we moved out here. I love the way they fly. They seem to defy the laws of physics.

Also, NEVER smash one of those. My mother killed one at our pool once and they release a chemical that alerts their friends. She was swarmed within minutes.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I adore bumblebees, but wow, I've NEVER seen one so huge! It's at least three times the size of a normal bumbler. I think it's actually a queen bumbler! So cool!!