I'm Clueless

It was suffering from Hot Ass Syndrome. You're a saint. A bee saint.

erm... maybe the weather was warm and she fancied a little dip? nothing better than a wee paddle on a hot summer day!

That's as good an explanation as any, Rich! Sounds good to me.

I guess so, Billion. It was certainly interesting. :D

maybe he sat on his stinger

Beth, hahahaha.

Absolutely fantastic shots again!

Thanks, Cariadus. I'm always bemused by things like this. I don't know what's going on, but I try to lend a hand.

He was trying to get wet to bring the water back to his nest for cooling. Apparently, bees invented the swamp cooler! According to this:

"In hot weather, bees cool the colony much like a swamp or evaporative cooler does -- by evaporating off drops of water. Bees collect water and spread it throughout the colony in droplets. Then they fan the air to creat an air stream over the water drops, causing the water to evaporate and thus lowering the nest temperatures. "

Therefore, Rich was right. Hot Ass Syndrome, only his whole nest has it!

:)

Oh, awesome! You are amazing, Silar. Thank you. We had a massive old swamp cooler when I was a kid - that thing was 10 times better than an air conditioner. :D

oh wow. i'm really pleased to know the answer!

It's always good to know the answer. :)

Silar, that reminded me of reading about how honeybees kill invading hornets, using heat and carbon dioxide. Ed Yong at Not Exactly Rocket Science covered it.

Bees kill hornets with carbon dioxide emissions and local warming

There fabulous shots and a great story. I just love his little legs.

Thanks, Puddikat. I like those legs too.

ooh very interesting

It is, isn't it? Bees are fascinatin' creatures.

Wonderful shots!

That's a great explanation from Silar31, but my only difficulty with it is that this is some sort of bee fly, and not a bee. It has only two wings, for example - bees have four - , and its eyes are round and fly-like (i.e. almost join in the middle), and much larger than the oval eyes of a bee. Either way, it is a stunningly good bumble bee mimic, probably trying to copy something like the golden northern bumble bee which should be fairly local :)

That being said, the behaviour is very peculiar. The animal's lack of concern for its own welfare, flying into a spider web, for example, suggests that the behaviour could be triggered by a parasitic or fungal infection.

Eureka! (I have found it :D)

It is very likely a Syrphid fly called Mallota bautias, that, wait for it, has larvae that are deposit filter-feeders in water-filled tree holes!

It was laying eggs :)

Well done Euphro : )

great shots and wtg Euphro - a fantastic example of moblog in action :)

Fantastic, Euphro! Thank you. I did notice what looked like little eggs in the water. Well, egg laying or hot ass syndrome, I'll lend a hand, I guess. :D I'm going to read about Mallota bautias now.

Oh, and thanks for the hl!

This is what MoBLOG does so well.

Great pics, comunity spirit spanning the globe and a little bit of education if you fancy it.

*Hugs for all :)

Yes, it's the best of moblog! I love all the science peoples here, and there's a tremendous wealth of knowledge. That's a great thing for someone as curious as me. :D xxx

Learned something new today. Haha. That's fab.

I learned a whole bunch, especially that I need to be more observant, rather than thinking I know what something is and not looking closer. :D

I have to say that I learned an awful lot as well, and my comment "lack of concern for its own welfare" also applies to mothers, in my experience :D

euphro is a moblog hero!

Beth, he is, absolutely.

Euphro, yes, that easily applies to motherhood. :)

*blushes*

You really have a wonderful wildlife series here Caine. You've captured what is probably quite a rare and transient event with some wonderful photographs.I feel privileged to be able to contribute something to the marvellous riches you are amassing.

Your photos are a constant, and growing, testament to the amazing diversity and richness of wildlife you have where you live. I hope someday to be able to visit you in Almont and see it for myself.

My turn to blush. Thank you. And you'd be more than welcome in sleepy little Almont. :)

Woo, well done Euphro! I did think the wings looked a little bit spindly for a bee but I really am not that up on them (see buzzinginsectphobia) so I figure it's fat, yellow and black, and fuzzy, must be a bumble. :)

I tend to go on the fat, yellow, black, fuzzy and buzzy criteria myself, Silar. Having an anaphylactic reaction to a sting does tend to me making assumptions.

Because of this, though, I will pay closer attention. I should have rumbled to the 'not a bee' business looking at the eyes.

What a wonderfully educational post with beautiful pictures too. Thanks all :)

:D Morningbear. I love it when posts turn into these great discussions and learning moments.

Well, we live and learn, David Attenborough could do no better!
Well done Caine, great little documentary.

That's quite the compliment, Joker! Thanks!

Thank you, George. :)

this has been a fascinating visit, wow, I love it that people are so curious about this sort of thing and that there are people like you around to photo it.....fantastic :-)

and oops that was me nli :-(

Thank you, Paintist! I learned a great deal from going out on a simple, short walk. You never know what you're going to see. :D