I always thought the loud bumblebee buzz was the sound of the bee’s wings beating.

Not so! Instead the buzz is created by the vibration of the bee’s flight muscles, and the flight muscles can vibrate even when the wings aren’t moving.

The flight muscles serve another purpose too… on cooler days bees can’t fly until they vibrate their flight muscles enough to warm up their bodies.


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Comments

C.P.

Are you a photographer? This photograph is awesome. :)

M.T.G.

what a great close up. I admire the diligence of a bee.

Donna W.

That’s an amazing picture!

Shana

What a wonderful photo. Great detail!!!

Sandy C.

Busy is right. All the life in this picture is so delicate, so connected. Gorgeous.

B.T.

FANTASTIC!!!! What a great shot!!!

Suprina

WOW! That is a awesome picture!

Sara

I always wanted to reach out and touch them. Have to resist…it wouldn’t have ended well. Great shot!!

Chris@bookarama

Great pic!

Tammi

I’ve never seen a bee this up close and personal…I didn’t realize how fuzzy they are.

S.B.

Spectacular photo – really unique!

Carly B

This has got to be the most amazing photo of a bee I have ever seen! Wonderful picture!!! What kind of camera did you use?

Katya

Last year, I photographed a lot of Bumblebees and I noticed that they look very much like little fuzzy teddy bears! I also found them to be very tolerant in being photographed. What a terrific shot!

S.L.

I have a bumble bee nest under the steps to my house. Once in a while they stop at the entrance of the hive, and they are soooooooooooooooooooo soft. The stinger’s on the butt . . . not the fuzzy goodness. :) Wonderful shot!!

Pann

very nice shot!

I also have a lot of bees who seem very pleased with sunflowers and coneflowers in front of my house. They are amazing to watch!

Nancy L.

Wow, what an amazing photo.

Q.P.

Wow, that is an amazing photo! And it does look all cuddly, but no way on earth am I going to try it! LOL I’ve been stung by a whole hive of bees before, I stear clear!

patois

“Cuddly” is really in the eye of the bee-holder, right?

Laura W.

WOW!! Great closeup picture!

Amy

wow – that is amazing! love this shot. :)

Kelly

Cool picture. You almost want to reach in an touch…ouch!

M.Y.

What a coincidence! Grandson and I did bumble bees yesterday. Some times the wings looked like yours, some shots they looked actually solid. We were amazed ourselves. Love your against pink.

Angela K.

Wonderful shot!

Jams O.

What an excellent photo. I love watching bees at work in the garden

ambre

Love that shot! Amazing!

~smile~

Shirley (Choosing Voluntary Simplicity)

No, I am not a photographer, just someone who likes to take lots of pictures. :o) My camera is just an inexpensive Sony CyberShot that I just got and am trying to get used to. At this point I prefer the Fuji camera I had previously that just one day stopped working and refused to turn on. I would love to get it fixed, but I think the repairs would probably cost more than another inexpensive camera.