Bee Life ... *Macro Pictures

Macromeds

Veteran Member
Messages
3,918
Solutions
1
Reaction score
3,594
Location
QLD, AU
Every year the orange tail resin bees wake up with the warming sun and the moisture of spring rain.

These may all be female bees, mostly found by the nest – a hotel made of a log drilled for their use.

Their primary use seems to be to lay eggs, along with a little food bomb for the larva that will bee.

Another use is protection at night, somewhere to sleep away from all the predators in the garden.

The males live and sleep somewhere else in the garden, not too far away but still a mystery.

Once the bee cycle is underway and some eggs are sealed up in the nest a wasp turns up.

She, the wasp, is also laying eggs, in the bees nest. Her young will take advantage …

And so it goes, one thing dependant on another thing, until completion.

An end that is not ‘just’ another beginning.

But a beginning … without end.

Hmmm …

*

Hello world … Breaking out of the nest after a long winter, it’s time to get to work. My little brave bee, instinctively …



p1320082_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg




Time to stretch out, on the wall of the hotel, orientation time perhaps. The sky lightening behind, it’s a new world.



p1320166_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg




Spring cleaning, a relative that didn’t get through the winter is pushed to recycling. Thorough little housekeeper bee.



p1120399_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg




She lines the nest with resin for protection, some gets spilt on the way in, and she enters backwards to lay an egg.



p1260422_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg




Not quite finished, she goes to sleep the best she can. Not the safest position in a house full of geckos, but she stings … I know.



p1320151_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg




On her way to replenishing the earth with bees, one on the other in a deep dark chamber, here sealing up the first nest entrance.



p1120430_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg




And what’s this, one greeting another to the new world, male looking for a mate, or just saying hello. They talk to one another …



p1220173_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg




And in case anyone thinks a bee is fragile, I’ll have you know she’s fierce as a lion to protect her ways. Gentle too …



p1320188_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg




*

The wasp appeared, at first no threat it seems, no ovipositor I see. A male perhaps, or just young. Found below the bee hotel.



p1120232_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg




Here she is in fuller form, ovipositor held aloft behind, sitting on the hotel wall, listening for the signs that tell where to …



p1120395_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg




This is where, where else … She found a place to lay her egg, a bees nest clear as day. The sheath of her delivery rises.



p1120410_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg




And this is how it goes – the bee does her work and the wasp does hers too, so it turns. Everybody has its time …



p1120423_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg




Some work for resin, others for the meat, each is born of the earth. Mothers all … except the males of course.



p1120416_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg




--
Mark - http://beingmark.com/ - http://beingmark.com/macro-illustrated/
 
I've been photographing UK bees and their behaviour for 10+ years so finding this superb series was a real joy.

thanks for sharing, fantastic quality images
 
Every year the orange tail resin bees wake up with the warming sun and the moisture of spring rain.

These may all be female bees, mostly found by the nest – a hotel made of a log drilled for their use.

Their primary use seems to be to lay eggs, along with a little food bomb for the larva that will bee.

Another use is protection at night, somewhere to sleep away from all the predators in the garden.

The males live and sleep somewhere else in the garden, not too far away but still a mystery.

Once the bee cycle is underway and some eggs are sealed up in the nest a wasp turns up.

She, the wasp, is also laying eggs, in the bees nest. Her young will take advantage …

And so it goes, one thing dependant on another thing, until completion.

An end that is not ‘just’ another beginning.

But a beginning … without end.

Hmmm …

*

Hello world … Breaking out of the nest after a long winter, it’s time to get to work. My little brave bee, instinctively …

p1320082_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


Time to stretch out, on the wall of the hotel, orientation time perhaps. The sky lightening behind, it’s a new world.

p1320166_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


Spring cleaning, a relative that didn’t get through the winter is pushed to recycling. Thorough little housekeeper bee.

p1120399_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


She lines the nest with resin for protection, some gets spilt on the way in, and she enters backwards to lay an egg.

p1260422_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


Not quite finished, she goes to sleep the best she can. Not the safest position in a house full of geckos, but she stings … I know.

p1320151_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


On her way to replenishing the earth with bees, one on the other in a deep dark chamber, here sealing up the first nest entrance.

p1120430_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


And what’s this, one greeting another to the new world, male looking for a mate, or just saying hello. They talk to one another …

p1220173_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


And in case anyone thinks a bee is fragile, I’ll have you know she’s fierce as a lion to protect her ways. Gentle too …

p1320188_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


*

The wasp appeared, at first no threat it seems, no ovipositor I see. A male perhaps, or just young. Found below the bee hotel.

p1120232_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


Here she is in fuller form, ovipositor held aloft behind, sitting on the hotel wall, listening for the signs that tell where to …

p1120395_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


This is where, where else … She found a place to lay her egg, a bees nest clear as day. The sheath of her delivery rises.

p1120410_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


And this is how it goes – the bee does her work and the wasp does hers too, so it turns. Everybody has its time …

p1120423_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


Some work for resin, others for the meat, each is born of the earth. Mothers all … except the males of course.

p1120416_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


--
Mark - http://beingmark.com/ - http://beingmark.com/macro-illustrated/
Excellent! Never seen these sub-species before. Thanks for sharing.
 
Every year the orange tail resin bees wake up with the warming sun and the moisture of spring rain.

These may all be female bees, mostly found by the nest – a hotel made of a log drilled for their use.

Their primary use seems to be to lay eggs, along with a little food bomb for the larva that will bee.

Another use is protection at night, somewhere to sleep away from all the predators in the garden.

The males live and sleep somewhere else in the garden, not too far away but still a mystery.

Once the bee cycle is underway and some eggs are sealed up in the nest a wasp turns up.

She, the wasp, is also laying eggs, in the bees nest. Her young will take advantage …

And so it goes, one thing dependant on another thing, until completion.

An end that is not ‘just’ another beginning.

But a beginning … without end.

Hmmm …

*

Hello world … Breaking out of the nest after a long winter, it’s time to get to work. My little brave bee, instinctively …

p1320082_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


Time to stretch out, on the wall of the hotel, orientation time perhaps. The sky lightening behind, it’s a new world.

p1320166_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


Spring cleaning, a relative that didn’t get through the winter is pushed to recycling. Thorough little housekeeper bee.

p1120399_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


She lines the nest with resin for protection, some gets spilt on the way in, and she enters backwards to lay an egg.

p1260422_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


Not quite finished, she goes to sleep the best she can. Not the safest position in a house full of geckos, but she stings … I know.

p1320151_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


On her way to replenishing the earth with bees, one on the other in a deep dark chamber, here sealing up the first nest entrance.

p1120430_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


And what’s this, one greeting another to the new world, male looking for a mate, or just saying hello. They talk to one another …

p1220173_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


And in case anyone thinks a bee is fragile, I’ll have you know she’s fierce as a lion to protect her ways. Gentle too …

p1320188_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


*

The wasp appeared, at first no threat it seems, no ovipositor I see. A male perhaps, or just young. Found below the bee hotel.

p1120232_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


Here she is in fuller form, ovipositor held aloft behind, sitting on the hotel wall, listening for the signs that tell where to …

p1120395_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


This is where, where else … She found a place to lay her egg, a bees nest clear as day. The sheath of her delivery rises.

p1120410_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


And this is how it goes – the bee does her work and the wasp does hers too, so it turns. Everybody has its time …

p1120423_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


Some work for resin, others for the meat, each is born of the earth. Mothers all … except the males of course.

p1120416_mark-berkery_filtered-ni_2.jpg


--
Mark - http://beingmark.com/ - http://beingmark.com/macro-illustrated/
Amazing set, lovely lighting and incredible detail. Can you tell us your set up and if the shots are single or any stacks involved?
 
Wonderfull.....as usual!

Grand merci for sharing, delcious pictures, to paraphrase my president

Jean-Michel
 
By the way, these show that f/16 doesn’t bring visible diffraction, but a better dof, at least with the excallent oly 60mm macro
 
These are amazing, thanks for sharing. May I ask how you lit these? I am quite new to macro and I'm still struggling with lighting.
 
Wow. Just extraordinary.
 
Simply stunning shots - I'll have to get a macro lens!
 
Beautifully photographed and informative captioning. Thanks so much for these. I too would like more details about the lighting technique.

I agree with all the thoughtful forum members who posted positive comments without quoting. And, for those of you who buried your comment at the end of a long scroll though the entire post... I did not bother. I suspect many others do not either. Why would you do that?

Lee
 
In addition to seconding the kudos for storytelling, I salute your persistence and patience--you must have been keeping your eye on the wintering spot for a good long while!

Cheers,

Rick
 
Great stuff. The first one look like she's peeking out a window, looking around at this new world of hers.
 
Fantastic post 👍
 
Beautifully done, and most interesting as well. Thank you.
 
Excellent macros, beautiful lighting.
 
I simply agree with what so many others already have said, soo beautiful and interesting at the same time. Wow!! ;-)
 
Thanks for that, Bobby!
 

Keyboard shortcuts

Back
Top