Cactus bees know how to have fun

This fuzzy bee is a member of the genus Diadasia, commonly known as a cactus bees here in Tucson. They are very fuzzy and love diving into the cactus flowers. I like to watch them dive into the flowers because they disappear for a second, then pop back up. They look like they are having a ball rolling around all the pollen. The females, like all other female bees, go to the flowers to gather both pollen and nectar. The males are territorial. When you see the males you might think to yourself “how many red bulls did he have?” They fly around look into a flowers or sometimes land for a 1/4 of a second and fly to another flower. They just keep doing this over and over again. If your lucky they run out of fuel and they will stop and go into the flower to gather nectar. Then, the erratic behavior begins again. If they see another male in or around a flower that they are flying over they chase them away. It’s really a lot of fun to watch them. I was able to catch this one when he landed for a second.

Look how cute he his…who wouldn’t wanna mate with that?

Those green eyes are real people. These guys know how to work the lens don’t they.

This is why I keep my cactus growing in my yard. First of all it doesn’t require much water, so you got water conservation going on. Second, it attracts these bees (and many more). Who wouldn’t want to conserve water and attract such attractive pollinators? Who I ask?

Another cool fact about these guys…they sleep inside of the flowers. How smart. Its a fluffy flower that closes up at night to protect them from environmental conditions. For more pictures of these bees getting ready for bed inside the flowers visit goodbears site.