• BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

    Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
A Super pollinator, "The Blue-Banded Bee"
David7

A Super pollinator, "The Blue-Banded Bee" (Amegilla cingulata)

A. Cingulata are attractive solitary bees and originate from Australia. They have the unique ability to “Buzz pollinate” Flowers. The bee will tightly grip the anthers of a flower and vibrate rapidly, causing the flower to release more pollen. This is known as a technical term called “sonication”. This technique increases crop yields for some plants. These bees have become very important pollinators in Australia and have played a very important part in producing at least 30% of crops in Australia.
While in flight A. cingulata produce a louder buzzing sound and have a more placid nature; compared to most honey bees. However, they can and will sting if feel threatened. Females have four “blue” bands, compared to the males five coloured bands.
Habitat
Gardens, Forests, open woodlands and heathlands. Nests are usually built in open soil, dried up river banks, soft sandstone and soft mortar between bricks.
Location
Alicante, Spain
Date taken
October 2015
Scientific name
Amegilla cingulata
Equipment used
Nikon
Lovely photo, David. I also enjoyed the very interesting information that you included in your description. Thank you for sharing.
 
A stunning close up of this interesting bee, David.
 
Supporter
A gorgeous bee picture with brilliant focus, dof, lighting, colors, detail, and background. Impressive David!
 

Media information

Category
Invertebrates
Added by
David7
Date added
View count
102
Comment count
5

Image metadata

Device
NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D800
Aperture
ƒ/2.8
Focal length
105.0 mm
Exposure time
1/640
ISO
100
Flash
Off, did not fire
Filename
DSC_4176Wnc.jpg
File size
65.9 KB
Date taken
Sun, 04 October 2015 1:08 PM
Dimensions
482px x 600px

Share this media

Top