Saturday, April 18, 2009

Don't Fall In


It was a beautiful day outside. The bees were all over the nesting blocks but I can't say that they were the only ones in the action. Ants were all over legs deep in pollen. Formica, and Tapinoma were both in dandelions. Considering the parts the ant have to tough and how covered in pollen they are, it's likely that they are pollinating the flower. Not that these flowers need any help with pollination from ants. Just about any bee will work the flowers.


This little girl was licking nectar out of a creeping mint that is All Over My Yard! I tolerate both because they're worked by bees. The mint plant does get in the way in the garden though but at least it looks pretty in our walkway. I couldn't get the color right though but they are more blue than seen below. Dandelions are also a native plant and really I think the only weedy part about them is the seeds that follow the flower. I actually think that Dandelions might be an ideal plant for captive colonies. Pollen is fed to honey bee larva and I suspect ant larva may find nourishment from this too. The plant could be dead headed after flowering to promote blooming.