After such a spell of rainy weather it was good to see some sunshine.
In the winter when its sunny I like to see what the Winter Honeysuckle is attracting.
Today it was full of honey bees. They do not appreciate the rain and today it was warm enough not only for a cleansing flight but to collect nectar.
The bees were by far in the majority but I did see one Syrphid fly.
…a tiny black fly
…and a larger fly that looks as if it has a carapace of shiny blue grey steel.
The honey bees seemed only interested in the nectar apart from this bee who was multi-tasking and taking nectar at the same time as moving the pollen around with her feet. Perhaps it was only a grooming action as I saw no filled pollen baskets.
It was good to feel the sunshine, enjoy the warm temperature and watch the honeybees but I had been expecting the warm temperatures to have woken up some of the hibernating queen bumble bees. The bumble bees are attracted to the winter honeysuckle but I saw none today, perhaps tomorrow I will be luckier.
Bees in a French Garden 