Honeybee In An Abstract Floral World

by Brian Tada

Title

Honeybee In An Abstract Floral World

Artist

Brian Tada

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

While on assignment with National Geographic Your Shot in August 2019, I got the inspiration to stop at a wildlife refuge on the way home from a GriefShare support group meeting to make pictures along the path Mom and I would walk prior to her graduation to Heaven.

I saw this honeybee foraging among vibrant yellow Bird's Foot Trefoil blossoms (Lotus corniculatus) near a tributary leading to San Francisco Bay. The friendly-looking bee appears to be checking out the blossom with one of its highly sensitive antennae.

My dear Mother Cheryl’s love and respect for God’s creation continues through my photography in loving memory of her.

*****

Points of interest ~ the amazing antennae of honeybees::

While preparing this image for sale on this site, I became intrigued by the honeybee's use of its antenna to check out the blossom. This led me to research and discover the following intriguing facts:

The antennae of honeybees are a powerhouse of highly specialized sensors, providing survival information for taste, touch, smell and "hearing" of sounds.

In addition, the antennae help guide a honeybee to safely land, which is particularly helpful as each worker bee can pollinate from 1,000 to 5,000 flowers per day.

With all that flower visiting, this creates build-up of pollen on each antennae.
But not to worry.
The bee's forelegs come equipped with special notches and comb-like structures perfectly conformed to the width and shape of the antenna. The bee runs each antenna through these specialized structures to keep the sensors on the antennae clean. You may notice a bee cleaning itself from time to time, and this is part of that important procedure.

The left-side antennae in particular can help the bee differentiate between a "friend" or "foe" bee.

Inside the hive, the bee's antennae can monitor the temperature and carbon dioxide levels. If the temperature or CO2 level gets too high, this signals the bees to rev up their wings to ventilate the hive.

The hive itself is usually enclosed ~ which means a vast majority of the colony's functions are performed in near complete darkness.

So have you ever wondered how they engineer their hexagonal-shaped cells with such precision ~ without light for their eyes to see? It's thanks to their antennae which allow the bees to feel, gauge, measure and create the walls of each cell in bees' wax with impeccable beauty and accuracy.

Incidentally, scientists who have studied hives have discovered that the six-sided cells of a honeycomb provide the most efficient use of space than practically any other shape!

To maintain the high level of accuracy for the antennae data gathering, tiny pumps are located at the base of each antenna where it attaches to the bee's head, to pump bee blood throughout the structures to keep all those specialized sensors nourished and running smoothly. A special neural pathway leads from the sensors to the brain so that the bee can interpret and act on the variety of data gathered from the sensors.

These amazing facts I've described only scratch the proverbial surface of how truly intricate the honeybee is engineered.

How could something as tiny as a honeybee's antennae develop with such flawless precision, each cell, tissue, joint, sensor, nerve and muscle working in perfect harmony, to give the honeybee just the right amount and crucial type of data it needs to survive and perform its tasks with amazing efficiency and reliability?

Indeed, these Very Important Pollinators are but one of the innumerable, remarkable examples of Intelligent Design by a loving Creator.

The above facts on honeybees and their amazing antennae were gathered from various sources on the internet which I've read and written from memory.

*****

Greatly appreciate the group hosts for kindly featuring this image on the home pages of the following Fine Art America groups ~ all glory to God the Creator:

* 100 FAVORITE, 11.15.21
* WISCONSIN FLOWERS AND SCENERY, 01.04.23
* CAMERA ART, 04.10.23


*****

Thank you for visiting my gallery! This nature portrait with vibrant, cheerful colors will bring joy to your home, office and/or business. It is available as a print (framed or unframed), printed on canvas, metal, acrylic or wood, greeting cards, and home décor. Please see the ordering options on this page. 30-day money-back guarantee on the purchase price. Worldwide shipping available. Thank you for your patronage and support. Please help spread the word to your friends, which would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much. God bless you!



Artwork notes:

Embedded in the top right-hand corner is the Hebrew acronym for "B'ezras Hashem" [ב ס " ד] meaning "with God's help". It is a reminder to me as an artist and photographer of my dependence on the Almighty, the Originator of all creativity. This is a similar acknowledgement used by great artists like Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel who signed their work with the Latin phrase, "Soli Deo gloria" which means, "Glory to God alone".

Photo and description copyright © 2019, 2020 Brian Tada. To the glory of God. All rights reserved. Downloading, duplication, distribution and/or altering of this image without the express written permission of the artist/photographer is prohibited. Licensing of this image is available; please inquire.

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May 8th, 2020

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