Bumble Bees ♡

Bumble bees are winged insects from the Apidae family (order Hymenoptera). This family compromises medium-sized to large bees with long tongs and setae (sensitive, hair-like structures that make honey bees and bumble bees look like flying pups) that are branched or feathery and give a dense covering on the body.

Bumble bee inside a flower
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They usually live in large, well-organized communities consisting of sexually functioning females or queens, nonreproductive workers, and sexual males or drones. Queens and workers originate from fertilized eggs, and males from infertile eggs.

These bees pollinate a variety of economically important crops and tree fruits.

Bumble bee covered in pollen
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Bumble bees’ bodies are black, but it is often distinctly marked with black, white and yellow setae that are branched or feathery. They’re abundant in the temperate parts of North America, Europe and Asia; they occur within the Arctic Circle (HOW COOL IS THAT?), along the northern fringe of Africa, and in South America.

Bumble bee detail

Bumble bee detail
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Last year I was visited by a very cute bumble bee and I tried to shoot her in flight, I thought I couldn’t do it since I’m lacking the equipment and the experience but that didn’t stop me, these were the outcome:

She was friendly enough to accept the camera lens almost touching her and I’ll always be grateful.

Insects can be nice too and if one gives them the chance, they make you fall in love because there's room for everyone, working with them never disappoints. They're incredible, from their crazy morphology to their complex behaviour. This versatility is what keeps where I need to be :)