Care for Bees (Eulaema)

[Caleb_Arias]

Hello everyone

I’m an amateur orchid grower. This little friend visits me every season to pollinate my flowers. Personally, I know absolutely nothing about bees.

I’d like to learn more about him and his species. I also don’t know if I can feed him (?), like they do with hummingbirds, for example, and the little cups of water and sugar.

Personally, I don’t use insecticides to keep my frog population comfortable. But I do use a fungus called Beauveria bassiana, which irritates the insects.

What can I do to keep this little fellow happy? Rumor around here says that kind of bee nests underground… I’d really like to learn more.

Knowing the specific species also allows me to study the pollination of this orchid, Anguloa Tognettiae. Any information is helpful.

Thank you so much

[Eva]

Welcome Caleb, what a wonderful photo! It sounds like all kinds of wildlife feel at home in your garden. I wish I could tell you what type of bee this is, but I can only say it looks like a kind of bumble bee. And, anything that drinks nectar from flowers would also take sugar syrup - as long as you don’t boil it when you make it.

Bumblebees do mostly make nests in the ground, and because some are protected there might be local environmental organizations that would like to know you’ve seen one of these. I encourage you to contact a local office that deals with nature conservation or agriculture to learn more.

Let us know what you find out!