Me and my bumble bees, up close and personal.

This is one of my garden bumble bees having dinner on a pink zinnia. (I think he was looking at me.)
 He is a California Bumblebee... Bombus californicus. He is a "he" because he doesn't have a pollen basket on his back legs.Only the females have that big yellow sac on their legs.

 The Nikon 105mm macro lens is what allows me to get this close without endangering my life. (Yes, bumble bees do have stingers, and yes they do hurt.  Unlike honeybees, bumble bees' stingers do not detach from their bodies so they don't die after they sting you.) I'm still learning how to use this new macro lens, but sometimes I do everything right and this photo is the result.
I can't tell you how many shots I took before I got this one... multitudes, believe me. I normally use a tripod but with bees it's best to have some mobility, so I use a monopod or just hand hold the camera.
The image size changes significantly as you focus in the macro range, which makes it very hard to get clear framing. Your DOF (depth of field), the part of the picture that is in focus, is very small.  It's enough to drive me crazy trying to get precise focus on my subject. But this one worked.

I love these flowers. Zinnias come in such beautiful colors and are a lot easier to shoot than bees. They stay in one place.

You can see some of the pollen on this one above and something like glitter on all the edges of the flower below.

I love the world of Macro photography. All these small parts of the flower can be seen and studied. The insects become monsters. "Mothra" becomes real. It's a hidden world waiting for discovery.

No wonder the bees look like this. The pollen is everywhere. It's like a snowy day.

Here are two of them (Yes, one is behind the other.) trying to collect pollen out of a hollyhock flower. They're covered with pollen.. It's like snow.

These are the edges of the hollyhock petals. I love this color... It's the palest pink, almost white.

After the leaves die back, what remains is the seed pod. I have many colors of hollyhocks in the garden but this pale one has the darkest seed pod. Seems odd, doesn't it. 

You can see the seeds very clearly. I think they're beautiful. I'm collecting the seeds as they dry. If anyone would like some seeds just ask when you comment. I would be glad to send you some. I'm starting to lay them out on the table to continue drying. This pale off white one is the most lovely, even when it starts to dry. 
These little "bumbles" are wonderful to watch and photograph.  When night comes they all find a place to sleep. Tonight they will all try to sleep inside a flower. It's funny to watch them vie for position. One flower  tonight had five bumblebees trying to find a place to sleep.

This little bumblebee has settled in for the night. They sleep inside the flowers and between the seed pods. He's all snuggled in. Good night little one. See you in the morning.