Some Classic Scutellata Shots!

Hey everyone, (Apis mellifera scutellata) just so happens to be the most important being on Earth did you know that? Today I decided to take some epic pics in commemoration of this incredible insect!

The top picture I used the Basil as a backdrop, bottom pic the sky as my canvas. I find that not too many colours make for better background in a pic than the greens of shrubs and incredible clear blue skies, agreed?

Don't believe these are the most important creature on Earth? They sure are check more of that here: https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/23245/20190709/bees-are-the-most-important-living-being-on-earth.htm

The plant that I find these more common on and which is why I plant them by the ton are these pretty thai basil plants. They flower all year round and bees just love them! I would highly recommend everyone planting them in their gardens to feed the bees especially in the Winter months!

More on our species here as per wikipedia.org: (Apis mellifera scutellata)

The East African lowland honey bee (Apis mellifera scutellata) is a subspecies of the western honey bee. It is native to central, southern and eastern Africa, though at the southern extreme it is replaced by the Cape honey bee (Apis mellifera capensis).[1] This subspecies has been determined to constitute one part of the ancestry of the Africanized bees (also known as "killer bees") spreading through America.[2]

The introduction of the Cape honey bee into northern South Africa poses a threat to East African lowland honey bees. If a female worker from a Cape honey bee colony enters an East African lowland honey bee nest, she is not attacked, partly due to her resemblance to the East African lowland honey bee queen. As she is capable of parthenogenetic reproduction, she may begin laying eggs which hatch as "clones" of herself, which will also lay eggs, causing the parasitic A. m. capensis workers to increase in number. The death of the host colony results from the dwindling numbers of A. m. scutellata workers that perform foraging duties (A. m. capensis workers are greatly under-represented in the foraging force), the death of the queen, and, before queen death, competition for egg laying between A. m. capensis workers and the queen. When the colony dies, the capensis females will seek out a new host colony. More here as per wikipedia.org https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_bee

We were very blessed to have an exceptionally good honey flow season also possibly as a result of us planting rows of this Thai Basil plant and possible that we now have 30 mature developed swarms relative to the 15 odd from last year!

Lets all love and save bees, spread awareness and for goodness sakes plant some perennial/thai basil, bees just love them.

I trust you have an incredible week, be blessed.

Love and light only!
Cheer$;)