Neon Bandit
The Neon Cuckoo bee resting from her efforts to populate the Blue Banded Bee’s nests in the big mud brick.
*Click on the pictures for a proper look … and click again
During the day she took to the fern stems I put out for the purpose, and no BBB bothered her while she was there.
This was late afternoon as the sun hit the ground in front of the BBB house, a short window for a lighter background.
Such was her calm I had time for more considered shots, to get some greenery in. Colourful contrast pleases the eye.
Then there’s the plastic roof on the BBB house, perishing now, trusting it will survive the summer. She gets around.
This went on for an hour or so, as she sought to leave her young for the BBB’s to tend, as Cuckoos of all kinds do.
She was unfazed by the BBB’s occasionally buzzing her at her varying resting places, clearly at ease in her being.
She came and went, and I followed along, with the BBB’s a close second. The BBB’s don’t rest on the nest this way.
And then there is the wood that keeps the plastic roof on the BBB’s house, a little weight in case of wind, and rain.
As close as I could get. Though she got to know and accept me as a feature without threat, I still exercised respect.
And then there were these flies, as small as they look, showed interest in some of the BBB’s nests. Feeding perhaps.
Breeding perhaps, I can’t say what they were up to exactly but the possibilities are limited to simple instinctive drive.
And they took to the fern stems instinctively, a place of safety with only one narrow approach to it. It’s all relative.
At a fraction the size of it the last three flies may be the children of this one, also found nearby. Maybe not …
She came back, our Neon Cuckoo Bee. And the BBB’s were busy chasing her away.
But she didn’t mind, and she didn’t give up, dodging the natives in order to lay her eggs.
The BBB house has been very busy this year, and there will be more Neon Cuckoo bees for it.
The way it is, one thing feeds off another, and they’re all very focussed about it, filling the need.
Nature needs to reproduce, plain and simple, and nothing will deter the instinctive will.
Except maybe the will before instinct. Nothing … to write home about though, for now.
© Mark Berkery ……. Click on those pictures for a closer look
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Nature's Place 
This is unbelievable! It’s the first time I’m seeing bees up this close, the level of detail and the colors are amazing. Thank you for sharing such fine works!
They are indeed.
Thanks Elna.
awesome!
:-) She is …
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It’s a common WordPress blog with my own domain name mapped to it – so it doesn’t show as WP. And I am using an old theme which I didn’t customise, just made good use of the available parameters. WP do a good job of managing the platform it runs on so things are nearly always running smooth. And no, I don’t get ‘paid’ but do get the occasional donation from someone who appreciates what I do.
Thanks for the kind words BB…
I am fascinated by the color of these bees.
She’s a queen of her kind so she wears the best. A well dressed bee.
Very great macro
Thanks Jeremy.
Welcome 😎✋
Exquisite little creatures :)
I’m reminded to get my beautiful poster of Qld Native Bees framed and up on the wall now that I have a home of my own again.
It’s good to have ones own place …
Wow, the colours of these little bees are so awesome! Incredibly beautiful. The latter fly remind me of a kind of Drosophila. I have some solitary bees on my balcony. They are nesting here and there is a kind of fly which comes and puts their eggs into the bees nests. They are so small I didn’t take them “serious”, when I saw them first. But I don’t know anything about the place you are living, so just a guess. Again great pictures, lovely! Almuth
The place I am living probably has the same things as yours, just different in the detail. It wouldn’t surprise me if the flies have captured a BBB nest for themselves. It’s sub-tropical Brisbane here, Oz, and seasons are really variations on ‘summer’.
Thanks Almuth.
That sounds like a good warm breeding area for little bees :-) Winter has just started here. Probably we will see the first wild bees in March or April if it won’t be too cold. Almuth
They do have time off but months to go before the winter comes.