Thirsty Bees in the Drought

It's hot and dry out there, and I have observed honeybees desperately seeking moisture. One worker bee followed me as I picked raspberries and sipped up the juice left behind on the nubs of the berries. I also saw bees mingling with wasps as they sipped drops of water from a drip hose on the sidewalk. Please remember to put out a shallow bowl of water with rocks, marbles, twigs, or corks to help the bees from falling in and drowning.

I found this male wool carder bee spending the night hugging a stalk of lavender. What a beautiful bed! He's done this for at least two nights and the first night he was biting into a lavender bud to help him hold on while he snoozed after a long day of sex and drinking. Those long hairs are a bit of a mystery, since he doesn't collect pollen.

I also saw this large leafcutter bee foraging in nasturtiums. Note the long nectar tubes in the flower you can see on the right of the flower--perfect for hummingbirds and long-tongued bees. Remember to give flowering plants water during the drought so they can produce nectar. Skip watering the lawn and pamper your flowers instead.

A Strange Little Critter: New Wasp on the Block

 My, what big eyes you have! This little creature was pollinating the Angelica Sylvestris. It has something strange going on on its thorax. This is one time I wish I had netted it so I could check it closer. It has a damaged wing, so it looks like it has been through the wars.

 This blurry photo shows the pattern on its back. It's tiny--about a cm long.

ETA: Phil from the blog Cabinet of Curiosities has helped me identify this as a digger wasp, maybe the square-headed digger wasp like this one taken by Terry Thormin: http://www.pbase.com/terrythormin/image/128851647

 I love the way this wasp was balancing its back legs on a sunflower leaf to feed on the fennel nectar.

Here's another small wasp with a distinct pattern, a kind of window pane on its thorax.

 This is dangerous-looking milk thistle.

 I am really enjoying the shades of the hummingbird sage I planted from seed. It blooms in shell pink, white and scarlet.

A honey bee landed on my glasses and then crawled onto my hand and tried to stick its tongue in between my fingers. I think this is because I had a gig as the Queen Bee in the morning. I use a witch hazel with lavender to remove my makeup and the bee must have been attracted to the scent of the lavender. This has happened to me before when I rub lavender blossoms with my fingers. So you need to be aware that your cosmetics may attract bees!