The Bees' Knees!

I have been having a lot of fun experimenting on the back deck. 

My brother Pete used to do the same kind of stuff. 

Even while I was feeding the hummingbirds, 

I noticed the ground bees hanging around. 

Then, I started to notice them in the jelly cups I 

put out for the finches. 

I talked to our bee expert, Ray, at the Ag Hall, and he told me those are ground bees. 

I still have not figured out where they are living. 

I started feeding them directly on the deck rail.  

They literally clean it all up. 

Yes, it attracts flies and some wasps, but they stay right there. 

I was using grape jelly, but I have been cleaning out the fridge this week, and 

I had some strawberry jam.  It still smelled good, so I tried it. 

You see they left the grape for the strawberry.  

By that evening, they had cleaned up everything you see, both jellies. 

That's strawberry. 

Yesterday, I put out orange marmalade, I had bought some at one point 

to make some Chinese recipe, and we never used it again.  I thought surely it 

was bad. 

It wasn't. 

Do you notice anything?  I mean, besides the wasp on the right? 

Honeybees! 

I had never seen honeybees on anything before, but they liked the orange peel. 

Two honeybees with that wasp. 

They are out there this morning, too. 

You see how everything was eaten down to the rind parts. 

The honeybees love it, obviously...

While as soon as I put some grape jelly down, the ground bees abandoned ship and flew and crawled to the grape jelly. 

I just find nature so fascinating, and wish my big brother was here to see it. 

Still not stung.... knock on wood! 

Thank you all for the wonderful comments and prayers for Keith and me. 

I appreciate them all so much. 

It is so hard adjusting to life alone again, but 

I am taking it one day at a time, the best we all can do. 

I pray a lot... and I know others are praying for me. 

Thank you!