... So, the other day I was fiddling with Rupert and the macro lens, snapping roosting blue banded bees. I didn't notice anything at the time (
Mr Brown says I'm legally blind but I'm not the one who needs glasses to read menus!) but after downloading the pics, and looking at them enbiggened on the screen I spotted a ... lump on one of the bee's wings.
I zoomed in a bit.
Yep, there was something there alright, something with legs and wings of it's own.
I have absolutely NO idea what it is. It's flea-like but fleas don't have wings. I'm pretty sure it isn't a
Varroa Mite (
if it were I'd give sprinkling my bees with powdered sugar a go). Any ideas?
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I'll ask the old bloke next door - he is an entomologist - at least he was when he wasn't so old.
Cool, ta.
OMG!
I have no clue.
Good luck with the search...
erm..... nix, non, nien, nyit, nada, but I'm dying to find out now....
Could it be a baby blue banded bee hitching a ride on the parent?
Bee crabs.
Nah. They don't fly.
You are right it is not a Varroa mite, but he is not sure what it is (butterflies are his speciality you see)could be a parasite or it could be just hitching a ride.
He thinks it is a kind of fly and happends to have a friend whose specality is flies so if you flick me the picture (or even better take another with the head in better focus! Ha!)he will email it to his friend and get you the answer you desire x
S, HA indeed, that's about as good as I can do, but I'll ping you the pic tonight.
taeversomuch xxxx
Zoomie, possibly but I'm not sure how that works. I think the adults die before the new generation comes through.
Cookie, no claws either :)
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