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THE GARDEN SAGEA library of living things
Wildlife & landscape pests · Western North Carolina field companion

Bumble bee — probable

Bombus sp.

IMG_9580Holly

A busy bee works across the small fertile flowers of a blue lacecap hydrangea. The short clip adds movement to the compendium and documents a real flower visit.

Record
Holly’s observation · Probable identification confidence
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In the landscape.

Plants & places

Flowering garden. The MOV filename supplies no location; a Western North Carolina locality is not independently established for this clip.

A sensible first response

Provide a succession of accessible flowers and avoid spraying blooms while bees visit. Watch from a comfortable distance and let the bee continue foraging.

When to look

Date not supplied in the filename. The flowering plant and bee activity suggest growing-season footage, not an exact date.

Identification

Seven representative frames sampled at one-second intervals show a robust yellow-and-black bee with a hairy thorax and conspicuous orange pollen loads on the hind legs. Its build and apparent pollen baskets favor a bumble bee.

Lookalikes & limits

Motion and resolution obscure the full abdominal hair pattern and facial details. Carpenter bees are the main comparison; Bombus is probable, and no bumble-bee species is assigned.

In the garden

Visible flower visitor carrying pollen. The clip supports foraging behavior; it does not measure pollination effectiveness.

Your margin of the garden.

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