POST YOUR BEE SHOTS (any non-butterfly all pollinators are welcome - wasps, etc.)

All you Gents are posting such great shots that you are hard acts to follow!

I used some sugar syrup to give this Bumblebee a reason to let me get close.

Tech Specs: Canon 70D (F16, 1/250, ISO 200) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (around 1.5x) + a diffused MT-24EX (flash head "A" set as the key and "B" as the fill, with the key on a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. I used an artificial flower to keep the background from being black.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2h5P​pop

From the yard..

A snoozing European Wool Carder Bee.

Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (almost 4x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT with a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe on the "A" head (the key), E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC, second curtain sync. This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2h6m​kGz

This was one of my Blue Mason bees (male) that hatched from my solitary bee house. Looks very similar to the Red Mason bee, except for the eyes (Red Masons have black eyes).

Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 200 due to Highlight Tone Priority) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (4x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT, E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC, second curtain sync). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2h6U​EUt

Male of Megachile (Chalicodoma) parietina.

Technique: After photographing this mason bee in my lavender I turned it loose in a plant on my patio while I went to have lunch. Evidently the little guy got active and had lunch as well, because this is how I found him later on that same afternoon. This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. I used an artificial flower to keep the background from being black.

Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (around 4x) + a diffused MT-24EX (both flash heads on the Canon flash mount, E-TTL metering).

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2h7p​vGs

saw this bee almost disappeared down a flower.
It dived in deeper than this

A beekeeper was kind enough to crack open a few hives for me, and I managed to photograph a honeybee birthday (Apis mellifera liquistica).

Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (over 1x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT (E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2h8Q​4Bf

Male of Megachile (Chalicodoma) parietina.

Technique: It was a cool day (18C) with partly cloudy skies and intermittent light showers -perfect weather to go looking for solitary bees since they'll have a tough time keeping their metabolism up. I got lucky and found this Mason bee semi-dormant in my Lavender.

Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (around 2x) + a diffused MT-24EX (both flash heads on the Canon flash mount, E-TTL metering). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. I used an artificial flower to keep the background from being black.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2h9i​fxE

A beekeeper was kind enough to crack open a few hives for me, and I managed to photograph a honeybee birthday (Apis mellifera liquistica).

Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (over 1x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT (E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2ha1​V34

This Sweat Bee (L. leucozonium) was camping in my Lavender for a few days.

Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (over 2x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT (E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC, second curtain sync). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. I'm holding on to the stem of the Lavender with my left hand, and resting the lens on that same hand to keep the scene steady.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2haw​XR9