What's all the buzz about?

Last week when I was working on the great mulch project (part one, apparently - since I need to order more...), the two retired guys who live down the street from us came down for a visit to see how the work was going. I'd already stopped down at former-Vietnam Nam vet/retired-pig-farmer George's place to drop off the last two spare tomato plants and to see how his garden was doing, and I knew retired-farmer Dan, who lives with his wife across the street from George, was out and about as well. Dan has hooked me up with leaves that fall all over his yard in the fall for my garden the past couple of autumns, and since he has a little stiffness walking, he's taken to zipping around in his rider mower to come down for a visit, with George walking along side.

While they were getting the garden tour, we noticed the forest of goldenrod (solidago) and other weeds up against my lawn in the undeveloped lot next to us was FULL of bees. At first I had assumed many of them were mimics, because I get so many flies that LOOK like honey bees in the deck planters. But many of these critters really were honey bees - we were all thrilled to know that, even with all the doom and gloom about bees these days, there were quite a few visiting our yards.

Now it's been a loooong time since my biology days, so I don't remember the exact rules. I think maybe flies have two wings and bees have four? I know you can't necessarily tell from the pollen sacks on their legs - I think I remember that some flies even mimic that with yellow parts on their legs? Maybe that's wrong...


Check out this cute little guy - definitely not a honey bee, but I'm guessing some sort of solitary bee. I've put out a little tube-nest for solitary bees, which right now is just resting in the railing on the side of the deck, but so far I haven't noticed anyone interested in it. I think I should probably move it up higher, maybe tuck it out of the way on the side of the house. Then again, considering how much "nature" we have all around us, it could be the solitary bees will have zero interest in my one little tube nest.


Now I think this next guy is a fly...not quite sure.


He was real busy working over the flowers.


I took these pictures late in the afternoon about a week after Dan and George had come by - and there weren't as many buzzing visitors in the flowers. I'll have to keep watching though... George even said it might be fun to try setting up a hive. That's something I'd love to do, but right now I don't need the expense/extra hobby, plus Brett worries neighbors would feel it's dangerous around their kids. OH well - seems like the bees are doing well enough without my extra help...