Rifat is running a survey to map the bumbebees of the Indian Himalaya for the Zoological Survey of India

Until this year we often got nesting Tree Bumbebees under the house roof barge boards. But none this year. And then we cut down their favourite nectar source in the garden, a very floriferous Ceanothus, so that wasn't a good move!

Little designs for a new sticker sheet, to match my other sticker design. The critters are all individually painted with gouache and digitally superimposed onto the previously painted background.
#antiai #fuckai #nature #stickers

It's the most fun thing to rummage in as well. Grasshoppers in late summer too. All sorts of stuff. Can't move for bumbebees at the minute.

More arbitrarily selected bugs from today:

Bombylius major, bee-fly
Vespula sp., wasp (queen)
Bombus terrestris, bumblebee (queen!)
Tiny wasp from the Ichneumonoidea?

#Derbyshire #insects #bees #bumbebees #wasps #macroPhotography #MacroMonday

Cool fact: Our high-tech #greenhouses use #BumbeBees to naturally pollinate our crops. This technique increases crop yield, improves quality, and reduces labor.