pollinators

I was searching for pollinators today. Bees, flies, wasps, etc. I even saw a hummingbird (though no photo).

I saw lots of wild bees: green metallics, wool carders and bumble bees. Also lots of small flies. A few wasps. Only ONE honeybee. This one was in my parents yard, which is within a mile of a bee keeper.

I was pleased to find lots of pollinators at my home garden, my community plot and my parents yard. Even though there were very few honeybees.

The bees spent most of their time on flowers and weeds adjacent to the vegetable garden, though I caught a few photos of bees on vegetables flowers. I think this shows the importance of companion planting (that is, planting flowering plants in your vegetables garden or letting some flowering weeds grow).

Information:

Bees have two pairs of wings (though it can be hard to see the second pair), three body segments and eyes that are smaller than their bodies. Flies have big eyes and only one pair of wings. Wasps have a waist that is more conspicuous than a bee's.

Flower flies (Syrphid flies) tend to sit on one flower for some time and move from flower to flower to collect pollen as bees do. They do not accumulate loads of pollen as female bees do, but they can be significant pollinators.

I sent the photos to BugGuide to get IDs for the ones I wasn't familiar with: from top left, Wool Carder Bee (Anthidium manicatum), female sweat bee Halictidae family(probably Lasioglossum spp.) on achillea, male leafcutter bee (Megachile spp.) on crimson clover leaf, green metallic bee on black-eyed susan (rudbeckia), bumblebee, honeybee on white clover flower, green metallic bee on potato flower, flower fly (Syrphid fly) on fleabane, fly on wild carrot, flower fly (Syrphid fly, probably Toxomerus marginatus), bumblebee on sweet pea flower, bumblebee on rambler rose, bumblebee on pea blossom, bumblebee on primrose.