Feeding Honeybee

[Dalantech]

While walking through my yard looking for something to shoot this Honeybee landed on my shoulder. Not sure why its metabolism tanked, but it was enough for me to coax it onto a finger and photograph it feeding on some sugar syrup.

Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (almost 3x) + a diffused MT-26EX RT (E-TTL metering with -1/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Sharpen AI, Denoise AI, and Clarity in that order.

Feeding Honeybee by John Kimbler, on Flickr

[MarkSturtevant]

Excellent picture. When emergent from dormancy, bees can be pretty low in energy reserves and very hungry.

[Dalantech]

Excellent picture. When emergent from dormancy, bees can be pretty low in energy reserves and very hungry.

Thanks!

I often wonder if honeybees also suffer from a sugar rush after feeding on some flowers. Almost like a carbohydrate comma.

Solitary bees, especially the smaller species, are very dependent on the sun to keep their metabolism going when the temps are cool. On partly cloudy days their metabolism will tank when the sun goes behind the clouds -looks like nature's off button. So I'm use to seeing solitary bees dormant under those conditions.

[Dalantech]

The more I look at this honeybee the more I think that she got caught out in the open over night and when it landed on my shoulder it was starving. I coaxed it onto a Sourgrass flower just so I'd have an interesting platform to photograph it on, but to my surprise she started feeding on it. I carefully pealed back a few petals so could get her eye in the frame. No need to bait her with sugar syrup for this one, she was more hungry than afraid.

Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (around 2x) + a diffused MT-26EX RT (E-TTL metering with -1/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Sharpen AI, Denoise AI, and Clarity in that order.

Feeding Honeybee II by John Kimbler, on Flickr