Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: Interesting butterfly behavior, 1 by beckygardener

beckygardener wrote:
Paige - I am glad I am not the only one observing the bee situation. I, too, have been hit by the bees. Never stung, but definitely hit by them. I figured it was a warning from the bee and just backed off. Or shooed them away by flapping my arms. If they persisted, I'd go back on the screened porch until they settled down. Never got stung. I think you are right about any new bees in the yard. Seems most of them are used to me and just ignore me as long as I don't bother them. And they will move out of my way if I approach them slowly. Funny how they always go for our upper-body. How do they know that's where our head is? I've never been hit on my lower extremities. (Or at least not that I felt it.)

The bees "sleeping" in my yard are the bumble bees. I haven't seen any honey bees sleeping on flowers. It's so funny, because the first few times I observed this, I flicked them off the flower and then noticed them coming to. I was shocked, because I thought they were dead. lol Many were hanging upside down on the flower. I find several of them on my Powder Puff plant every morning sleeping. Now I just leave them alone. Did you notice them "sleeping" in warm night temps?

Here's a photo of one this morning before it "woke up". I just don't understand why they don't go back to their nest. Are they too full to fly? They do gorge themselves at dusk! lol Very odd.

This message was edited Nov 12, 2006 12:04 PM