Last Friday, the Bellflower posse anted up to the table… to pin some collected insects.  We had spent the last week or so collecting a various array of the natural pollinators from the area (bee catching photos not shown for the sake of our embarrassment). After bee collection dust had settled we had to give the bees the old Han Solo treatment, so that we wouldn’t be attempting to pin live bees which was fair to me. But as the morning of pinning approached, just as we sat down with Kayla Perry from the Ohio Agricultural Research and Design Center, we were told to watch ourselves because it was still possible they wake up! All I could think was that a bee sting had to be nothing compared to a zombie bee sting…

After Kayla showed us the basics and some of her previous, very high caliber, work we were ready try it ourselves.

It is an interesting feeling poking a hole in a bee, kinda like you are a giant poking a giant push pin through a football players helmet.

 

This experience reminded me of being super young again when everything seems unbelievable and gross and awesome. The whole group loved our time pinning with Dr. Perry and would like to thank her very much.

The bees that we are collecting and using are Halictids, Megachile and Bombus bees. The collection will become part of a reference collection for Dr. Ison’s current and future work on pollinators.

Sweat or Halictidae

Bombus (Pushed down to foam to dry correctly)