APrimrose Bees

The prolific bees are present in and around the summer months, with a glorious yellow flag of flowers, which is what we call it. The bees feed on the rose blooms and produce an amber syrup that’s sweet and refreshing. The fresh flavors of these flowers make it a perfect drink for any occasion. Its thick, sticky syrup also provides an interesting buzz for kids. Some say it’s even a favorite cocktail of the royal family.These darling petite flowers mimic the bees that love them. The deep, nearly black shade of brown with yellow scalloped edges looks almost hypnotizing when you get a big group of blooms together. Bumblebee Primrose does best with shade, so you can take advantage of its unique color pattern to draw attention to an otherwise forgotten area of the garden. Its lush foliage will also fill in where other plants won't grow. It'll be charming in a little decorative pot, or group it in a border, but wherever you plant Bumble Bee Primrose, be sure it's a place you can stop and enjoy the lovely perfume. Primula 'Eliator Gold Lace'

Flower

The evening primrose is a nighttime blooming wildflower. While I have observed it being worked at dawn by honey bees foraging for pollen, it primarily attracts other pollinators. I have seen flies, moths, butterflies, and solitary bees working evening primrose early in the morning. Luna moths, the size of small birds, work the flowers at night. Click on the picture to see a blue orchard bee foraging for pollen in an evening primrose blossom. The fast flying and gentle blue orchard bee strikes the flower hard and then scrubs its body around inside of the blossom. Its active movement inside the flower makes the blue orchard bee an effective pollinator. The native blue orchard bee carries its load of pollen on hairs on the lower side of the bee’s abdomen.The current research program that the USDA is funding to study bee health involves both honey bees and other pollinators.

Bees that are not honey bees, called non-apis bees, are being established in managed arrangements at each of the seven bee yard locations in the nation-wide study. The purpose of this study of these non-apis bees is to determine if there are cross infections between the species. Bumble bees are being sampled to check for stress and, hopefully, increase efficiency of their use as pollinators. The investigators are also studying the effects of the neonicitinoid pesticides, like Imidacloprid, on the non-apis bees. They are looking into the sub-lethal effects of these pesticides and any effects caused by their residues. The non-apis bees, like the blue orchard bee, serve an important role in helping to pollinate flowering plants. They help the honey bee complete the pollination required to produce fruit and seeds for wildlife and humans. (Source: peacebeefarm.blogspot.com)