When I found this bee I wasn't sure what it was doing, but it didn't seem skittish so I decided to try and take a shot. When I looked through the view finder I realized that it was blowing a bubble, and every other second or so it would stick its proboscis out. The prevailing theory is that insects blow bubbles to expose their stomach contents to the air to aid beneficial bacteria in breaking down what they've eaten.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/100, ISO 200) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (over 2x) + a diffused MT-26EX RT (E-TTL metering). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Denoise AI, Sharpen AI, and Clarity in that order.
Honey bees, and I assume bumble bees too, do it all the time to evaporate nectar down to honey, with enzymes inverting the sugar during the process.
Harold
Thanks!
I knew that about honeybees and bumblebees but this is the first time I've seen a solitary bee (think it's a sweat bee) blowing a bubble, and sticking it's proboscis in and out. Did it for several minutes.
Side note: I've been told that a lot of insects blow bubbles as a way to regulate their body temperature when they need to cool down. It wasn't very hot the day I found that bee blowing bubbles, and it was in the shade. So not sure if it was trying to break down what it had eaten or if it was "panting".
