Beautiful closeup. From what I can see, it has a single set of wings, making it a member of the hoverfly family, and not an actual bee. Bees can be distinguished by a double pair of wings (two smaller, two bigger). Hoverflies do love pretending to be bees though, so they can look very similar indeed. In flight the difference is more easily observed, as hoverflies are excellent at hovering in place, and bees are actually terrible pilots. They can't hang still for the life of them, and landing is usually a matter of a controlled crash :D
I've got about 50.000 of the lovely bee ladies in my garden, as we have our own hive. But I do love to go out with my camera to spot wild bees, and the occasional hoverfly, as they can be very pretty.
January 1st, 2024
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I've got about 50.000 of the lovely bee ladies in my garden, as we have our own hive. But I do love to go out with my camera to spot wild bees, and the occasional hoverfly, as they can be very pretty.