Two Bee or Not Two Bee?

[jrice12]

I think I am going to give up on bumblebees... They won't stand still for even a fraction of second.

 

[edddial]

I agree with you. They're hardworker so they move fast.
Anyway, nice shots!

 

[cgipson1]

Nice! Don't see many Bumble's around here.. and when I do, they usually don't hold still long enough for me to get a decent focus.

 

[Overread]

Ahhh but there are some tricks you can use to help things:

1) Early mornings - like many insects bees are cold and very lethargic first thing in the morning; this means that they are totally docile and very easily approached. Many loaner bees even roost up on leaves and the like to sleep so you can hunt around for them

2) Rain - short sharp dips in temperature, like a short rainfall, catch bees out and they will crash down fast as they cool far too quickly. This leaves them trapped and lethargic on flowers and the like - again a great time to take photos.

3) Popular flowers - flowers that are fed from regularly are a great way to get shots as the bees will ignore most else to concentrate on feeding - though can be tricky getting more than their bums in the shot

4) Sugar water (don't use honey as honey from other hives can cause illness and death in other bees) - a good catch all attraction/food source for many bugs - again relying on them being absorbed in eating and not paying attention to their surroundings.

 

[edddial]

Thanks for the tips. I believe we can use the tricks especially #4 for butterfly too right?

 

[Overread]

Butterflies and dragonflies certainly - in fact they will work for a wide range of insects.

 

[jrice12]

#1 and #2 seem the best since the central problem is their activity level makes capturing a good shot nothing more than luck. However, not sure if they will look good after first getting up or after being stessed (I know I'm not photogenic at those times).

#3, the worse flowers are the ones that are cone shaped where the bees go all the way in - I can't get a shot at them at all. I choose flowers that are "flat" so the bees have to stay in the open.

4) Hadn't considered baiting. Not sure this would give a natural image - is the sugar water put on a flower?

 

[Overread]

Sugar water can be spread on any surface where it won't slip away instantly, though note that it might take time to be noticed by the insects and you can't guarantee who will come for a drink