Nice photos Jeff, well done.
This last year I’ve noticed a lot mere spiders around here and walked through my fair share of webs too, nothing like doing the back step web dance…
I’ve also noticed a lot more spider wasps too,of various species, big dudes.
I’ve stopped the pesticide treatments since keeping bees and have noticed insect populations have exploded, beneficials especially.
Couple of orb facts.
They are the third largest family of spiders and yes that male has cause to be wary. He only has two chances for love in his lifetime and mamma’s hungry.
Love golden orbs
Thank you Skegley & @Faroe, I noticed one leg missing. She still seems to function well without it.
Her bee catch rate isn’t all that great considering that I have about 15 nucs nearby. She picked a good spot just the same.
…from the link you just sent me, I believe this may be a Wasp Mimicking Bee…on my Old Man Banksia
@skeggley … Is the Blue Banded about the size of a honeybee?
@Dan2, the bbb is about the size of a drone, tad bigger maybe but built like a brick sh*thouse. Usually solitary burrowing bees they pollinate by vibration over touch. Great for tomato’s, capsicums and chilli. Quite common Spring through summer and very pretty especially the really blue ones.
To follow up your mimic bee, here’s a little masked bee from the pool.
hey…not …
That is a great bee that Blue one…and the Zorro one…
Hi Jeff,
I see a top hive entrance. This because of two brood boxes?
Thank you Dee, I’m on a roll. Here’s a couple of pics of bees in my dragon fruit flowers this morning.
Isn’t that beautiful
And that’s beautiful too
Many blue banded bees at my place in Wollongong Australia at the moment, they are loving the lavender!
Wow, amazing she can fly with such big pollen pants!
Funny you say that because I was telling my husband the same thing. As she flew to the hive, it was like a car running out of gas, she’d drop a little and fly back up, and she actually bumped into the hive and then took a break near the entrance. That is when I got the picture. A few minutes later she entered the hive.
Great story too, then! I have to say that those are some of the biggest corbiculae I have seen on a honey bee. What an amazing worker.