My yard is loaded with them now.
No problem with bees this year
I don't think that is a honey bee .. it looks like a bumble bee aka 747 bees. I had those all over my yard until I mowed the weeds.
X
I'm not sure what the difference is but yes that's one of the big ones.
Honey bee's are the little ones .. bumble bees are the big ones.
X
Don't they both do the same thing as far as pollinating plants?
From the looks of things, they probably do .. they just don't make honey as far as I know. It's honey bee's that are affected by Colony Collapse .. Research in Germany has just about pinned it on gm crops .. the ones with the pesticide genes .. when the bee's eat the pollen, a gene in their guts turn on the pesticide gene in the pollen.
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I have lots of bumble bees too, but I'm happy to say I have also seen more honey bees than this time last year. Hope that's a good sign.
Deb