<< Previous Next >>

Bumblebee


Bumblebee
Photo Information
Copyright: Paras Bhalla (parasbhalla) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 317 W: 0 N: 814] (3170)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-07-22
Categories: Insects
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC P150
Exposure: f/3.2, 1/80 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2009-10-10 5:10
Viewed: 189
Points: 30
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Information on "Bumble bee" from Free Web Dictionary "WiKiPedia":

A bumblebee (or bumble bee) is any member of the bee genus Bombus, in the family Apidae. There are over 250 known species, existing primarily in the Northern Hemisphere.

Bumblebees are social insects that are characterized by black and yellow body hairs, often in bands. However, some species have orange or red on their bodies, or may be entirely black.[1] Another obvious (but not unique) characteristic is the soft nature of the hair (long, branched setae), called pile, that covers their entire body, making them appear and feel fuzzy. They are best distinguished from similarly large, fuzzy bees by the form of the female hind leg, which is modified to form a corbicula; a shiny concave surface that is bare, but surrounded by a fringe of hairs used to transport pollen (in similar bees, the hind leg is completely hairy, and pollen grains are wedged into the hairs for transport).

Like their relatives the honey bees, bumblebees feed on nectar and gather pollen to feed their young.

Biology

The blood or hemolymph, as in other arthropods, is carried in an open circulatory system. The body organs, "heart" (dorsal aorta), muscles, etc. are surrounded in a reservoir of blood. The dorsal aorta does pulse blood through its long tube, though, so there is a circulation of sorts.

In fertilised queens the ovaries are activated when the queen lays her egg. It passes along the oviduct to the vagina. In the vagina there is a container called the spermatheca. This is where the queen stores sperm from her mating. Before she lays the egg, she will decide whether to use sperm from the spermatheca to fertilise it or not. Non-fertilised eggs grow into males, and only fertilised eggs grow into females and queens.

As in all animals, hormones play a big role in the growth and development of the bumblebee. The hormones that stimulate the development of the ovaries are suppressed in the other female worker bees while the queen remains dominant. Salivary glands in the head secrete saliva which is mixed with the nectar and pollen. Saliva is also mixed into the nest materials to soften them. The fat body is a nutritional store; before hibernation, queens eat as much as they can to enlarge their fat body, and the fat in the cells is used up during hibernation.

Like all bee tongues, the bumblebee tongue (the proboscis) is composed of many different mouthparts acting as a unit, specialised to suck up nectar via capillary action. When at rest or flying, the proboscis is kept folded under the head. The abdomen is divided into dorsal tergites and ventral sternites. Wax is secreted from glands on the sternites.

The brightly-coloured pile of the bumble bee is a form of aposematic signal. Depending on the species and morph, these colours can range from entirely black, to bright yellow, red, orange, white, and pink. Thick pile can also act as insulation to keep the bee warm in cold weather. Further, when flying a bee builds up an electrostatic charge, and as flowers are usually well grounded, pollen is attracted to the bee's pile when it lands. When a pollen covered bee enters a flower, the charged pollen is preferentially attracted to the stigma because it is better grounded than the other parts of the flower.

A bumblebee does not have ears, and it is not known whether, or how, a bumblebee could hear sound waves passing through the air, however they can feel the vibrations of sounds through wood and other materials.

(For more information, please consult WiKiPedia)
cirano, boreocypriensis, roges, Argus, Mikolaj, nikosrio, uleko, goldyrs, Noisette has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes.
Add Critique [Critiquing Guidelines] 
Only registered TrekNature members may write critiques.
Discussions
None
You must be logged in to start a discussion.

Critiques [Translate]

Slav Paras,
Very good close up of this Bumblebee with excellent sharpness and POV.Nice colors and very well composed.Thanks for sharing and best regards,

Dūrzan

Ciao Paras, lovely bumblebee on a beautiful flower, fantastic colors, great sharpness and splendid details, very well done, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

Hello Paras,

Sharp fine details in the furry insect!
It is my experience that is not always easy to achieve as the fur somehow seems to vibrate hehehe...
A well composed presentation with good colours!

Greetings,
Pablo -

Namastay MF Paras,

Another great close-up capture of a bussy bummblebee on a thistle while gathering nectar from wonderful POV with neat details and delightful composition.
TFS and have a nice WE MF!
Cheers,

Bayram

  • Great 
  • roges Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 597 W: 0 N: 515] (3068)
  • [2009-10-10 6:13]

Hi Para,

Splendid macro with some very beautiful colors and clear. Again a masterpiece.
Have a pleasant weekend,
Adrian

  • Great 
  • foozi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1339 W: 0 N: 2573] (9077)
  • [2009-10-10 6:31]

Hi Paras,
what a view of this bee gobbling the flowers. Very nicely presented with wonderful colours and details.

Regards,
Foozi

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3813 W: 190 N: 11346] (34981)
  • [2009-10-10 7:14]

Hello Paras,
An excellent capture of a Bumblebee queen taken froma great lateral POV with good sharpness and DOF. These furry insects are not easy to take with sharpness, but you did well here.
Nice composition with the thistle flower.
Thanks and have a good weekend,
Ivan

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2386 W: 94 N: 5517] (17564)
  • [2009-10-10 7:35]

Hello Paras,
Beautiful and sharp detailed photo of this Bumblebee. Very nice contrasting colours in a good composition and DOF. Nice OOF BG.
Regards,
Peter

hello Paras
very good composition great details and beautiful colours
greeting lou

Ciao Paras. Great clear capture for this insect always in movement. Good natural colours and nice compo.

Roberto

Hello Paras! Excellent shot, perfect sharpness, ideal exposure, good saturation. Original effect. Good luck!

Excellent capture with sharp details, nice colors and light,great BG,
have a nice day,
Nikos.

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2991 W: 162 N: 949] (2787)
  • [2009-10-11 0:50]

Hello Paras,
A nice summer view of the Bumble Bee burying its head in the flower. I like your POV and details and colours are beautiful.
TFS and regards, Ulla

A well composed and perfectly timed shot of this bumblebee on the Thistle, Paras.The sharpness, frame and exposure are all spot on!
Bravo!
Goldy

Hello paras
great shot of this Bumbleby drinking nectar from this nice purple flower
the details are very sharp and the colors are very beautiful
Have a good night
Jacqueline

Calibration Check
















0123456789ABCDEF