See the Bees

Wow wow wow, SO much pollen coming in right now! Some of these girls are so dusted in pollen, they didn’t even bother to put it in their baskets! Foraging bees carry mass amounts of pollen on their hind legs by packing down the pollen grains into a sphere and stashing it in an area called the corbiculae - which is a sort of depressed hollow along the back leg surrounded by stiff hairs which act to hold the pollen in place. This is known as the “pollen basket”. 🧺🟡🟠

Recently there has been a lot of creosote and desert broom coming in. This will provide vital protein resources for the winter months.

The bees circled in red on the second photo, have pollen dust all over their thoraxes, and were walking around the frame fully loaded up. Nice work gals! 💛🧡🤍

As SEEn n Valley of the Kings, West Bank … EGYPT 🇪🇬 🐝🇪🇬

Tucson and the surrounding area got such a deluge of rain last weekend! A storm like this is so vital for our desert ecosystem. Yesterday I was at Tanque Verde Falls and I cannot remember seeing that much water there - some of the normal trails were completely washed out and the falls were raging!!!

I saw so so many honeybees out collecting water. ☺️ Bees use water to cool their hive in an evaporative cooling system: they deposit water along the surface of the comb and fan their wings to circulate air over the water.

These are feral bees that live in hives within the many crevices and openings in the rock walls.

In this photo, the bees’ proboscis (tongue) is visible, as she sucks up the water from the pebbles lining one of the “beaches”. I bet SO many animals are happily quenching their thirst now.

It was absolutely glorious out there! 💦💧💦

This afternoon/evening was such a great example of why Tucson is such a gem! 💎🌵💧

This parched town got pounded by nonstop rain all day. Not to be thwarted by this most welcome blessing, the organizers of and didn’t skip a beat … what was meant to be an indoor/outdoor family BBQ extravaganza turned into a cozy community event snuggled within the newly renovated and beauteous historic Benedictine-monastery-turned-music-venue.

It was a multi-cultural, all ages, diverse, and sweet crowd that came to support the musicians, artists, and vendors. This is what community looks like.

See the Bees was nestled near the buzz of the ladies offering flash tattoos! How apropos ☺️

Looking forward to more shows here! Thank you for the invitation to participate. 💛🐝💛

Friends! This upcoming Sunday is family picnic at Tucson’s newest event space . I’m happy to be joining all the amazing vendors, musicians, and artists that will present!

Reminder that I have only 2 cases available of the limited edition Mesquite/Wildflower honey extracted late this summer. 🌻🌻🌻

I will also have the much loved Mesquite / Palo Verde honey for sale. 🍯🍯🍯

Honey tasting + the observation hive! See bees live and up close! Find the queen! Bring your bee questions. Kids welcome. 💕

See the Bees will be set up from 4-6pm

See you there! 🌵

Hey Tucson, it’s been a minute since See the Bees has done a public event! I’m super happy to be joining the first annual picnic extravaganza at the beautiful - Tucson’s newest event space opening this fall.

There will be music, tattoos, line dancing, food, animals, BEES, clothing and jewelry vendors and much more.

This will be a fun and free community event open to all. The bees and I will be there from 4-6pm, with a q & a on all things bees, free honey tasting, AND I will have honey for sale! I will have the much coveted Mesquite /Palo Verde blend and I have 2 cases of a late summer Mesquite / Wildflower (sunflower) honey that I just extracted. This will be a special limited edition batch! 🌻🌻🌻

A perfect to way to support all things LOCAL + community vibes!

See you there Oct 12th 🧡

💛 CREOSOTE 💛

Bees are making honey now, from this wonderfully medicinal plant. It might be enough to get a batch of honey! So magical.

Tucson! Remember those crazy storms we had a couple of weeks ago? Because of that rain, there is a super bloom of Creosote now. 🌼💛🌼

Those who’ve been in the Sonoran desert during the monsoon season, know this plant well - the oils produced by the plant are what give the desert its unique aroma during the rains. 🌿 For many, this smell is a direct reminder of home.

During a heavy nectar flow, bees will start building new white or yellow wax along the top bars in the hive. This is an indication that they are ready to store more nectar!

I will put some shallows (the boxes that bees store nectar in) on in the next couple of days in the hopes that this bloom might be enough for the bees to make a batch of CREOSOTE HONEY! Talk about desert terroir 😍

Will keep you posted.

Background check done and cleared for another season of volunteering at Pima County Juvenile Court. ✅🐝

I’m so grateful for the unique opportunity I have to collaborate with the University of Arizona Master Gardeners, sharing with young people the importance of bees!

Yesterday I had a group of teen boys who were SO attentive!! They cracked up when I attempted to mimic the waggle dance and loved tasting raw honey. They were so excited to find the queen bee in the observation hive and thought it was cool that she has a court. They also commiserated about the fate of drones 😬 … In the garden they touched worms, tasted herbs, and marveled on the sweetness of a stevia plant.

I love how the boys just shine when given the chance, when treated with respect, and when they feel seen and heard.

Looking forward to more time “at Juve”!

My colleague captured this sweet moment of coexistence at our water fountain.

The Sonoran desert toad (previously called Bufo alvarius), now classified as Incilius alvarius) was just chillin’ in the water and the bees sat on top of it, collecting water off its body like it was a convenient float. The toad was completely unbothered💝

Yes, this is the toad known for its defensive toxic secretions (used by humans for its psychedelic properties 5-MeO-DMT).

The toad is found primarily in the Sonoran Desert and is facing threats of habitat loss, climate change, and unfortunately, trafficking. “Humane collection” is a misnomer, as the secretions are produced only when the toad is extremely stressed. And, the ever increasing demand for the hallucinogenic compound causes poaching and the inhumane capture of this important species. (Handling of the toad can also spread disease).

Local Tucsonan and president of the Tucson Herpetological Society Robert Villa, frequently gives informative talks about the necessity of protectiCREAM Design & Printe species and its place in our beautiful Sonoran desert. Also, you can support the effort to raise awareness about the Sonoran desert toad by rocking the t shirts made by local compEmily Watkins de Jongion of the proceeds go to education efforts by the Tucson Herpetological Society.

These toads are massive! And of course I think they’re cute! 💕








Photo by .illustrations

Today’s office! Taking notes for my colleagues, on a sweet overcast day. The humidity was brutal, but the bees were bringing in creosote nectar! 🍯 It tastes like rain in the desert 💧🌿💧

One of my favorite things is witnessing YOU see the bees! I love when friends send me bee stuff from around the world. This comes from a German friend Carina who was traveling in Austria.

I recognized it as St. Ambrose, the patron saint of beekeepers, but I asked her for a translation. Here’s what she sent:

Gladly!:

The Bishop of Milan, born in Trier in 339, is the patron saint of beekeepers, wax makers, gingerbread bakers, and bees. He is immediately recognizable by his beehive. The commemoration day is always December 7 (the day of his episcopal ordination).

In 2021, the Hippach-Ramsau-Schwendau Beekeeping Association celebrated its 80th anniversary.

As an anniversary gift to all beekeepers and bee lovers, this statue was commissioned from the well-known Hippach artist Alois Stöckl. It was created from a 130-year-old, solid larch trunk from the Zillertal.

We hope to make as many people as possible aware of the issue of bees.

This project was gratefully supported by the Raiffeisenbank Hippach and the surrounding area.

The Hippach-Ramsau-Schwendau Beekeeping Association

This is the Info about the sculpture:

Amber Saint
Alois Stöckl
6283 Hippach