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An other chapter in the life of the Green Gold Bee, from the edge of the world into deep nature.
It all happens on the edge of a huge coastal mangrove forest, where a tidal creek separates it from the mainland and man’s mind made stuff.
The nest entrance is a comfortable size, and they always go in head first, but then they always come out head first. So, it seems, they have room in there to turn around.
At first I thought they could only be laying their eggs for hatching in the spring, until I saw the one that spent some time cleaning hardened clay from its back. It looks like a youngster to me.
You can see how it uses the hooked feet to scrape at the dirt. It suggests to me either a cave-in or it has just emerged from incubation. It looks smaller too, less full bodied than the others.
And then there was the one dead bee I found. It looks to have a torn wing suggesting struggle of some kind. Maybe the crab kind.
Just below the nest site are the homes of small crabs that peep out and occasionally risk a journey across the dark mud.
They are shy creatures, not comfortable being photographed, but they can be tricked into it.
Things to do, lives to live … the comings and goings, remind me of … ways to be.
A typical nest entrance, fresh diggings on the downward approach – gravity works.
I saw quite a few of these bees and not one entered the nest backwards, as other bees are seen to do, to lay an egg.
And as far as I could see they always exited head first too, suggesting an excavation allowing them to turn-around.
A youngster maybe, just emerged from underground obviously. Or where did the clay on its back and wing come from.
Compared to the one above this bee looks mature, strong and healthy. Perhaps that’s an egg filled abdomen, big as it is.
Everything dies … and I only saw the one such. No sign of spiders but this nest site would have its predators. Crabs maybe.
Foraging in the daylight can be hazardous for a crab but they know when to run and hide.
It all happens on the edge of a huge coastal mangrove forest, where a tidal creek separates it from the mainland and man’s mind made stuff.
The nest entrance is a comfortable size, and they always go in head first, but then they always come out head first. So, it seems, they have room in there to turn around.
At first I thought they could only be laying their eggs for hatching in the spring, until I saw the one that spent some time cleaning hardened clay from its back. It looks like a youngster to me.
You can see how it uses the hooked feet to scrape at the dirt. It suggests to me either a cave-in or it has just emerged from incubation. It looks smaller too, less full bodied than the others.
And then there was the one dead bee I found. It looks to have a torn wing suggesting struggle of some kind. Maybe the crab kind.
Just below the nest site are the homes of small crabs that peep out and occasionally risk a journey across the dark mud.
They are shy creatures, not comfortable being photographed, but they can be tricked into it.
Things to do, lives to live … the comings and goings, remind me of … ways to be.
A typical nest entrance, fresh diggings on the downward approach – gravity works.
I saw quite a few of these bees and not one entered the nest backwards, as other bees are seen to do, to lay an egg.
And as far as I could see they always exited head first too, suggesting an excavation allowing them to turn-around.
A youngster maybe, just emerged from underground obviously. Or where did the clay on its back and wing come from.
Compared to the one above this bee looks mature, strong and healthy. Perhaps that’s an egg filled abdomen, big as it is.
Everything dies … and I only saw the one such. No sign of spiders but this nest site would have its predators. Crabs maybe.
Foraging in the daylight can be hazardous for a crab but they know when to run and hide.
A HAPPY PENTAX USER
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