Single Honeybee on Honeycomb

A single worker honeybee on top of her honeycomb. The beekeeper is doing his first hive inspection of the season. This gives me the opportunity to take some macro photographs of the hive. I have to be careful to time it just right and take the picture at the beginning of the inspection. The bees are just a little disoriented and do not bother me. However, if the beekeeper gets close to the hive queen they might become aggressive and go after anything standing in range. Their sole instinct is to protect their queen. Only the female worker bee can sting. The male drones do not have stingers.

Some of the tasks of a beekeeper are to look for the health of the hive. Bees have a few enemies who can compromise their hives. Hive beetles and mites can kill a bee hive. The beekeepers' inspection ensures that those pests are illuminated and the honeybees make it through the seasons. Another thing the beekeepers look for is honeycombs not built right. Comb where it does not belong makes the hive suspect to other problems. Extra comb gets removed for the bees to rebuild that section. Lastly, a healthy hive can get too big and needs to be split.
This is done to prevent the honeybees to swarm and look for another place to call home.

As gardeners, we respect our honeybees and take great care to ensure they remain healthy.

This artwork is offered by Iris Holzer Richardson

Iris Richardson is a multidisciplinary artist from Hückelhoven, NRW Germany, known for her striking macro photography, painting, and sculpture. Her artistic career began as a formally trained culinary chef, but she returned to her education to formally study photography. Through the years, she added painting and sculpture to her artistic skills. Iris graduated from Rowan University with a BFA and from SACI: Studio Arts College International Florence, Florence, Italy with her MFA.

Iris is particularly drawn to the intricate details and hidden beauty of the natural world, which she captures with stunning precision in her macro photographs and reflects in her paintings and sculptures. From the delicate petals of a flower to the complex patterns of a butterfly's wing, her work invites the viewer to see the world in a new and captivating way.

Iris's work has been exhibited internationally in galleries in Italy, Germany, and the USA. When she is not working in her studio, Iris inspires young artists at Rowan University and resides in Mullica Hill, NJ, where she continues to push the boundaries of her craft with each new project. Her photographs, paintings, and sculptures can be found in various private and public collections worldwide.

https://www.IrisRichardson.com

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