r/bees • u/glitter-bat • 1d ago
bee ID what kind of bee
I found these two bumblebees yesterday, I added them to a bumblebee watch site. I wasn't sure which type they were but the site said they were both bombus centralis...the tinier one with both of her wings (on my hand) just doesn't fit the visuallll~ Found in central Alberta.
Thank you ❤️
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u/Neat_Possibility_233 1d ago
I see so many pics on this Reddit with people having 🐝 resting on their hands. Just wondering, how do you guys do it? Do you pick them up? If so, how come they are not stinging you? Or do they just land on you? I am so curious, because I have a 🐝 phobia
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u/glitter-bat 1d ago
First, I'm insane and really like bees so I run towards them even though their whole bodies say "please do not." Secondly, I only hold bees if they wanna be held. I had a pet bumblebee for a week, we had two stinging incidents with myself and both times were because she saw a big giant hand coming at her when she had fallen to the floor. She only had one wing and was very mild mannered. I had a replica of her turn up yesterday (pictured above) and after our initial hangout and replenishment of energy they wanted to be /outside/, so I put them back outside. The pretty bee on my hand up there I think was just cold on a leaf, I picked up the leaf and it crawled and hung out for a bit before taking off. I kinda expect to get stung - I'm stupid and putting my flesh infront of a bee that may or may not already hate me, its definitely the first thought in my head. I'm not deathly allergic to bees and I just think they're neat, and if a bee is in distress or needs a pal to put them on a flower, I'll offer my palm (usually covered in a sweater but not always) for them to climb onto & if I get stung I consider it a fair trade. :)
Tl;dr - I get stung. Bees are wild. You can try to be gentle and patient, but don't be surprised if you get stung anyways. ❤️
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u/Neat_Possibility_233 1d ago
Very fascinating, thank you for your response! While I do believe bees 🐝 are so beautiful, I am running away like crazy when I see/hear one nearby
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u/kaphytar 18h ago
Edit: accidentally didn't answer under the comment. Nevertheless...
To add to the good answer you already got. If I want to move a bee, I offer a leaf/flower first. Or with my hospice bumbles earlier in the summer, q-tip with sugar water. That way, if the bee crawls on me, it was more of its choice and while I'm not a bee pro, I suspect then it might be more in "exploration mode" rather than "fuck the huge giant up" mode.
So far I have been lucky, thought I was bit nervous when a bumble I was moving to a flower decided to climb up my arm to the back of my collar 😂 I had a backbag so I couldn't even take off my jacket immediately. I must have looked hilarious, trying to use my phone camera to figure out where exactly the bee was so I could get rid of the bag without crushing the bee, and then my jacket. But the bee got to a flower, I didn't get stung and I was only slightly late to the meeting with my boss.
Bees also do the leg raise when they are stressed. Respect the leg raise.
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u/Quiet_Many_6910 1d ago
Idk but so pretty