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Let me say right off that this is just an exercise in bee observation. I have no expectation of saving this particular bee, just observing and using it as a learning experience and an exercise in photography. If it stops raining we'll probably release it on a nice flower to die naturally.
My wife found this bee hanging on to a windshield wiper. It is possible she hit it but we don't see any injury. The bee looked dead at first but moved when she touched it. She brought it inside, stuck it in a jar, and offered it a droplet of honey. It fed ravenously. This is not one of our bees, but a "city bee" from a residential small city/suburban environment.
It can't fly, is clumsy and falls on its back a lot, but it remains active. Last night there was a heckuva rainstorm here so it is possible it just got caught out in a storm. And, of course, it could just be on its retirement flight, although the wings are not tattered.
The most telling symptom is that the proboscis is hanging out continuously. As I understand it this can be a symptom of pesticide poisoning.
Any thoughts on how to diagnose this problem?
My wife found this bee hanging on to a windshield wiper. It is possible she hit it but we don't see any injury. The bee looked dead at first but moved when she touched it. She brought it inside, stuck it in a jar, and offered it a droplet of honey. It fed ravenously. This is not one of our bees, but a "city bee" from a residential small city/suburban environment.
It can't fly, is clumsy and falls on its back a lot, but it remains active. Last night there was a heckuva rainstorm here so it is possible it just got caught out in a storm. And, of course, it could just be on its retirement flight, although the wings are not tattered.
The most telling symptom is that the proboscis is hanging out continuously. As I understand it this can be a symptom of pesticide poisoning.
Any thoughts on how to diagnose this problem?
