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The flower and the bee


The flower and the bee
Photo Information
Copyright: jaap polak (carper) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1973 W: 119 N: 2582] (8439)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2003-10
Categories: Insects
Camera: olympus c 740 U
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/460 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Bee and flies [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2005-01-29 13:58
Viewed: 4050
Points: 36
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Honey bees are highly social insects and communicate with each other, relaying direction and distance of nectar and pollen sources. Bees make combs of waxen cells placed side by side that provide spaces to rear young and to store honey. The bee colony lives on the stored honey throughout winters, and therefore, can persist for years. When colony populations are high, the queen may move part of the colony to new harborage. Bees swarm at this time, usually finding hollow trees to begin their new colony, but they occasionally work their way into building wall voids.
Drones are male bees and they have no stingers. Drones do not collect food or pollen from flowers. Their sole purpose is to mate with the queen. If the colony is short on food, drones are often kicked out of the hive.

Workers, which are the smallest bees in the colony, are undeveloped females. A colony can have up to 60,000 workers. The life span of a worker bee depends upon the time of year. Her life expectancy can be as long as 35 days.

Workers feed the queen and larvae, guard the hive entrance and help to keep the hive cool by fanning their wings. Worker bees also collect nectar to make honey. In addition, honey bees produce wax comb. The comb is composed of hexagonal cells which have walls that are only 2/1000 inch thick, but support 25 times their own weight.

Honey bees' wings stroke over 11,000 times per minute, thus making their distinctive buzz.

A honey bee colony in a house wall can cause major problems. The bees can chew through the wall and fly inside. Their storage of large amounts of honey invites other bees and wasps. Their detritus (e.g., dead bees, shedded larval skins, wax caps from combs and other material) attracts beetles and moths.

When a bee colony is found in a building wall, it must be killed. Killing can be accomplished in the same way as killing yellowjackets in wall voids is done. Listen to the bee noise from inside rooms to locate the exact position of the nest in the wall to assure that the whole colony is treated.

After the colony is dead, remove the nest. If the nest is not removed, the wax combs -- normally cooled by the bees -- will melt and allow honey to flow down through the walls. Honey stain can never be removed; the walls will have to be replaced. As well, the freed honey attracts robber bees and wasps. The comb wax will attract wax moths that may persist for several years. The dead bees attract carpet beetles.

This one was out of the archive. Yes I must laught but I have a great archife on the moment. It´s enough to write 50 books with photos, fun. THis one I took with a distance of 10 cm with my old camera. Yes I have had a lot of plessure of my old olympus 740. I hope you like the shot too.
elroyie, Signal-Womb, red45, Janice, extramundi, willie, PDP, gerhardt, jhm, Luc has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Very good pose and point of view. Perfect focus on the head. Great colors. More depth of field would have been an improvment in my point of view. Maybe F/8 woulf have bring the wings in focus.

Very good macro shot, very good angle of shot' you have little bit problem with exposure, there are dark parts and very bright parts, I guess it is because of the dynamic range of your camera.

It's always interesting to view an insect from different angles, specially whith very close macros. Head top is not always shown as clear as here. Of course, you have then to compromise on the DOF. I like the point of view you've chosen here, and the clarity of the details. A very good shot, Jaap.

Good perspective on this one Jaap showing nice detail on upper body. I agree with Rene with DOF though. Excellent note.

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2636 W: 74 N: 9091] (31094)
  • [2005-01-30 4:24]

I like shaggy insects. Your bee looks great Jaap! I like warm light and composition with beautiful flower.

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3277 W: 148 N: 6163] (18832)
  • [2005-01-30 4:34]

Good macro Jaap of the bee. He looks so big, and the flower head so small. Well done and thsnk you for showing.

Nice photo. Though I know bees very well I didn't know they are so hairy ;-)
I know bees cause my father has couple of hives. Apiculture is very common in Poland and it have big traditions.
I must say I can't imagine killing bees. In my country rather nobody would do this. Bee is very honoured insect because of it great diligence. If you find bee nest and you don't want to have it than you call any bee-keeper and he will remove them very readily. He will be happy to have one more bee family :-)
Sorry for such long story ;-)
I like your photo very much
Thanks for posting

Nice details on the head you got here, but I think the short DOF added to the exposure makes this one a difficult shot. It looks like you are very close and this is a much bigger resolution photo. If you have enough quality I would have prefered to show more detail of head, cropping only the right upper side of this shot. Thanks!

Very good macro shot, good details and colours, great note as well.
Well done TFS.

Not your best Jaap, but better than anything I've ever posted. well done

  • Great 
  • japie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1814 W: 100 N: 1904] (5187)
  • [2005-01-30 10:19]

Hierdie is pragtig Jaap. Die detail op die kop en rug is fantasties. Ek hou van die kleure en die komposisie. . Uitstekende werk.

Groetnis

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 2821 W: 344 N: 3779] (11769)
  • [2005-01-30 13:39]

Hi Jaap, excellent shot, the focus is in exactly the right place. The composition is great too. Very well done.

Incredible detail on the head, Jaap. The hairs shows nicely. Great composition. Great shot.

  • Great 
  • puciu Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 469 W: 0 N: 16] (2631)
  • [2005-01-30 16:47]

Ładne zdjęcie dobrze wykadrowane bardzo ładna kolorystyka ostrość też OK.

  • Great 
  • jhm Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 893 W: 0 N: 507] (1853)
  • [2005-01-31 2:05]

Perfecte focus Jaap, de kleuren zijn gewoon schitterend, dit is nog eentje met uw oud toestel, het is toch een verschil die waarmeembaar is Jaap, met uw nieuwe camera zal hij nog mooier zijn.
Groeten,
John.

Very nice bee capture Jaap. The dof is very good and shows plenty of details, especially on the head. The orange colour on the chest indicates that it could bee a Bombus agrorum (Carder-bee in English, I think - Agerhumle in Danish) but I cannot be sure sice I cannot see the rest of the bee. Anyway I like the picture and the composition is very good.

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2150 W: 319 N: 4263] (16942)
  • [2005-02-03 16:02]

Jaap, this is, indeed, a macro. Nice colors and POV. The "monster" is displayed well with good details.

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1835 W: 301 N: 4287] (14767)
  • [2005-07-09 16:06]

Hello Jaap!
Personal assessment of the photo: great.
Strong visual impact.
Aptness of the photo for the site: excellent.
Personal assessment of the note: complete.
Thank you very much for sharing.
Have a good Sunday in Netherlands!

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