#diggerbee

this is the digger bee (scientific name: anthophorini)! they gained their name from their chosen method of nesting: in the ground! though this may seem peculiar, it’s actually common! 70% of the 20,000 species of bees in existence nest underground! (side note: do not refer to ground bee nests as “bee holes”. learned that the hard way.)

A male digger bee (Anthophora spp.) about on the flowers of a hairy manzanita. Manzanita shrubs, common along the west coast of North America, are among the most stunning of the region's native flora. They are also superb pollinator plants, producing abundant nectar-rich blooms. Digger bees are excellent pollinators if manzanita, able to buzz pollinate the flowers to extract the resources. The fruits of their visit are reaped in late summer when animals from birds to bears feast on the manzanita berries. #insects_of_our_world #macroworld_tr #pollinators #diggerbee #anthophora #wildbee #manzanita #conservation

A digger bee hitched a ride on a coworker’s sleeve yesterday. I used a pen to remove him/her. We watched it explore the table for a bit, then placed it on the ground, in the shade near some rocks. . . . . . #bee #myfriend #thebee #bees #diggerbee #beesarecool #beesareawesome #beesarelife #beesarefriends #shotoniphone #shotoniphonexr (at Liberty Wildlife) https://www.instagram.com/p/CddVVRgL2Jc/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Digger bee along the Christiansen trail. . . . . . #bee #myfriend #thebee #bees #diggerbee #beesarecool #beesareawesome #beesarelife #beesarefriends #shotonnikon #shotonnikond3500 #nikkorlens #nikkor70to300mm #nikkor70to300zoom (at Phoenix Mountains Preserve) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdLXzhZrWaT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Digger Bee #bee#diggerbee#insect#insects#flower#pollen#flowergarden#flower#yellow#sunny#macro#macrophotography#macroworld_tr#countingmacros#mydailymacro#macro_x#macro_world#macro_freaks#uwn_insect#nature#macro_love https://www.instagram.com/p/B2t-cUIlJtg/?igshid=ge64u2ji3q0b

One of the cooler things I found yesterday: Chimney bees! I had never heard of them before. The consensus from iNaturalist is that these are #DiadasiaBituberculata. Apparently #chimneybees are a type of #diggerbee that makes little tubes to their burrows. They’re kind of like #solitarybees except they form little communities like this one. Anyway, I read that these can sting but usually choose not to. They’re neither aggressive nor defensive. Which explains why they were right on the side of the trail and completely unbothered by me. #nativebees #diadasia #bees #savethebees #pollinators (at Hollenbeck Canyon) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwtXPNkHxEm/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=154987sfs540s

One of the cooler things I found yesterday: Chimney bees! I had never heard of them before. The consensus from iNaturalist is that these are #DiadasiaBituberculata. Apparently #chimneybees are a type of #diggerbee that makes little tubes to their burrows. They’re kind of like #solitarybees except they form little communities like this one. Anyway, I read that these can sting but usually choose not to. They’re neither aggressive nor defensive. Which explains why they were right on the side of the trail and completely unbothered by me. #nativebees #diadasia #bees #savethebees #pollinators (at Hollenbeck Canyon) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwtXPNkHxEm/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=409xq68la36w

Digger bee (Anthophora spp.). In a color photo, this species has dark eyes that don't appear to have any patterning, however when edited to grayscale, the contrasts can be more pleasingly adjusted to bring out the "invisible" spots. #bees #bugs #insects #kings_insects #pocket_insects #pollinators #anthophora #buzz #diggerbee #grayscale #macrophotography #macro_mood #macro_perfection #macro_freaks #insects_macro #insects_of_our_world #mat_macro #macroclique #show_us_macro