White Bees!?!

[CapnChkn]

Thank you BeeV.

It sure would be hard to miss something like that.  On this end, taking into account the temperature, moisture and time of day, I'm seeing 10% of the white bees from 3 days ago.  They've cut the hay.  It was mostly Queen Ann's lace (Wild Carrots), Red Clover and Fescue.  I don't see anything like this, but I'll have to look around.

So far I've only gotten one reply about this from the locals, she has no idea.  The meeting is Monday, so maybe I'll get an answer then.  In any case, it's no longer a concern, it's progressed to a curiosity.

Thank you everybody for the input.  I'll update what I find out.

[BeeV]

These would be fairly easy to miss, although you wouldn't think so. The only places I have spotted these growing seem to be in fairly shaded areas, and from a short distance it looks like dappled sun light. I'm curious to know what these are. Good luck.

[VolunteerK9]

It was mostly Queen Ann's lace (Wild Carrots), Red Clover and Fescue. 

Do bees work queen ann's lace? Ive got tons of this stuff around here but havent seen a honeybee on it.

[jusme]

OK here are a couple of crappy cell phone pics. I had to stop the truck in the road, jump out and take the pics and jump back in before another car came. I did see bees and butterflys working these, and the white coating was kind of sticky. I didn't notice if any of the bees had any white on them or not. Didn't get much of a chance to observe. Maybe someone could identify?



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It's hard to tell from the photos, but I've been seeing a lot of white bees in and out of my hives in Michigan.  I've got a field with a lot of wild Bee Balm (Monarda)   The girls look like they've been rolling in ashes,  but after seeing them in the field working the bee balm,  they look a little powder coated.  They're coming in AND out of the hive looking like they've been powdered, so it must be sticky.  Just a guess, but I'd say it's Bee Balm. 

[CapnChkn]

I went out and scouted around today.  The cotton is blooming.  The Buddhists were more interested in what the bees were living in, didn't have any ceremonies or rituals concerning bees and paint or dye.

I'm not seeing any bee balm, or this bright flower anywhere.  All the pasture across the road is bright yellow-orange flowers, being worked by bees of all kinds.  We've had the Queen Anne's lace blooming for a couple of months, but the bees didn't bring in any pollen for most of early July.  I know they'll work corn and grasses, the corn started blooming.  I don't see them bringing in tan color pollen anymore though.

I'm not seeing any "surprise" bees, but I'm still seeing the remnants of the white stuck to them.  I'm inclined to think it is paint from a hunter, though I can't imagine why they would decide to try here, my neighbor's hives are visible from the road.  I still have the beekeepers meeting tomorry, I have to ask there.

[CapnChkn]

I took the photo in and asked around.  Corn and rolling around in the flower were suggested, but the President looked at it and said, "Cotton.  Is there any cotton around you?"  Yep.  I put my finger in a bloom and rubbed around without getting any pollen or color rub off, so I can't tell you how they come in with the stuff all over them.