Posts Tagged: bumble bee
Why Bumble Bee Expert Robbin Thorp Would Have Been Proud

Robbin Thorp would have been proud of what happened on Thursday, Jan. 14. When the UC...
This manzanita plant at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, near Old Davis Road, is where UC Davis postdoctoral researcher Charlie Nicholson captured an image of the first bumble bee of the year. (Photo by Charlie Nicholson)
In this 2015 Bee Course class photo, Charlie Nicholson (top, far left) holds the sign. In the second row, far left, is co-instructor Robbin Thorp, UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor of entomology. Nicholson is the winner of the inaugural Robbin Thorp Memorial First-Bumble-Bee-of-the-Year Contest, sponsored by the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo courtesy of The Bee Course)
The Bee Course instructors in 2013 included (from left) Laurence Packer, York University, Toronto; Terry Griswold, USDA Bee Lab, Logan, Utah; Steve Buchmann, Tucson, Ariz.; Robbin Thorp, UC Davis, John Ascher, University of Singapore; Jim Cane, USDA Bee Lab, Logan, Utah; and Eli Wyman, American Museum of Natural History, N.Y. Not pictured course leader Jerome Rozen, American Museum of Natural History. (Photo courtesy of The Bee Course)
A Delight to See in January: A Bombus in Benicia

They're out there! Yes, after a l-o-n-g, cold, hard winter, bumble bees are emerging. At least in...
A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, heads for oxalis blossoms in Benicia on Jan. 13, 2021. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Side view of a yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, on oxalis in Benicia. Note the orange pollen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Bombus vosnesenskii, caught in flight, targets oxalis in Benicia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee buzzes toward the foraging bumble bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Searching for the First Bumble Bee of the Year in a Two-County Area

Seen any bumble bees lately in Yolo or Solano counties? If so, and if you photograph the...
Allan Jones of Davis captured this image of a black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, on Jan. 6, 2020 in the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. (Photo by Allan Jones)
This yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, showed up Jan. 1, 2018 at the Benicia Capitol State Historic Park. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, nectaring on a rose on Jan. 25, 2020 in Benicia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Bees of Bodega Head

There's more to Sonoma County's Bodega Head than the stunning views, crashing waves,...
A digger bee, Anthophora bomboides stanfordiana, returning to her nest on the sand cliffs of Bodega Bay. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A digger bee, Anthophora bomboides stanfordiana, edges closer to her nest on the sand cliffs of Bodega Bay. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A bee-ant encounter: The digger bee, Anthophora bomboides stanfordiana, encounters an ant, Formica transmontanis, as identified by ant specialists Phil Ward and Brendon Boudinot of UC Davis. Both species nest on the sand cliffs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A digger bee, Anthophora bomboides stanfordiana, excavating a nest on the sand cliffs of Bodega Head. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Four digger bees, Anthophora bomboides stanfordiana, appear in this image at Bodega Head. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A view from Bodega Head. Most tourists are unaware of the digger bees that inhabit the sand cliffs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Good Morning from a Sleepy Bumble Bee

Benjamin Franklin reportedly said: "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy,...
A bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, commonly known as a "black-tailed bumble bee," awakens on a Spanish lavender in a Vacaville park. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Good morning! The Bombus melanopygus peers over a Spanish lavender in a Vacaville park. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Time to forage! The Bombus melanopygus peers investigages a Spanish lavender in a Vacaville park. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)