Gallery: Bee Close-Ups Reveal the Glorious Beauty of Our Troubled Friends

  • Image may contain Animal Bee Invertebrate Apidae Insect Honey Bee Bumblebee Arachnid and Spider
    Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net
    01

    claybolt-beautifulbees-1-longhorned copy

    'Long-horned Bee (Eucera sp.)' The earliest attempts at apiculture — the practice of beekeeping — date back to between 3,500 to 4,500 years ago.
  • Image may contain Animal Invertebrate Bee Insect Honey Bee and Apidae
    Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net
    02

    claybolt-beautifulbees-3-svastra copy

    'Long-horned Bee (Svastra aegis)' Bolt began photographing bees in the southeastern states. In March, 2014 he photographed bees in California while shooting for National Geographic.
  • Image may contain Animal Bee Hornet Invertebrate Wasp Andrena Insect Apidae and Honey Bee
    Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net
    03

    claybolt-beautifulbees-4-augochloropsis-metallica copy

    'Metallic Green Bee (Augochloropsis metallica)' The Metallic Green Bee is Bolt’s favorite. “A gorgeous creature that is relatively common in eastern North America but often overlooked because of its small size.”
  • Image may contain Animal Invertebrate Bee Hornet Wasp Andrena and Insect
    Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net
    04

    claybolt-beautifulbees-5-cuckoo-ruficornis copy

    'Cuckoo Bee (Nomada sp, Ruficornis group)' Bolt hopes to make a photography book documentary his journey and what he has learned along the way.
  • Image may contain Money Coin Animal Reptile and Snake
    Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net
    05

    claybolt-beautifulbees-6-holcopasites-edit copy

    'Cuckoo Bee (Holcopasites calliopsidis)' “People are hard-wired to connect with nature from an early age, but the longer we wait, the more likely it is that the circuits will corrode, making it more difficult to implement that long-lasting connection,” says Bolt.
  • Image may contain Animal Invertebrate Bee Apidae Insect Bumblebee and Honey Bee
    Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net
    06

    claybolt-beautifulbees-7-bombus-impatiens copy

    'Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens)' “The great thing about encouraging people to look more closely at bees is that here is a situation where something can be done. Planting food sources, providing shelter, improving habitat, decreasing pesticide usage; all of these things can result in making a difference!”
  • Image may contain Animal Bee Invertebrate Honey Bee Insect Apidae Andrena Hornet and Wasp
    Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net
    07

    claybolt-beautifulbees-8-andrena copy

    'Mining Bee (Andrena sp)' Ever committed to nature photography, Bolt co-founded an international nature photography project called Meet Your Neighbours (MYN) in 2009. Its mission is to connect people with the wildlife in their own communities.
  • Image may contain Animal Invertebrate Hornet Andrena Bee Insect Wasp Honey Bee and Apidae
    Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net
    08

    claybolt-beautifulbees-9-agapostemon copy

    'Metallic Green Bee (Agapostemon sp)' Through the Beautiful Bees website and Facebook page Bolt has connect with a wide audience including bee experts such as Sam Droege, Étienne Normandin, John Ascher and Doug Yanega.
  • Image may contain Animal Apidae Invertebrate Bee Insect and Honey Bee
    Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net
    09

    claybolt-beautifulbees-10-xylocopa-ceratina copy

    Eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica) and Small Carpenter Bee (Ceratina sp.)
  • Image may contain Animal Bee Andrena Invertebrate Hornet Wasp Insect Asilidae Fly Apidae and Honey Bee
    Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net
    10

    claybolt-beautifulbees-11-augochlora-pura copy

    'Pure Green Bee (Augochlora pura)' Bolt hopes ‘Beautiful Bees’ will provide just one more source of inspiration for parents and young people who need a bridge into the incredible miniature world.
  • Image may contain Animal Bee Invertebrate Insect Apidae Bumblebee and Honey Bee
    Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net
    11

    claybolt-beautifulbees-12-bombus-melanopygus copy

    Black-tailed Bumble Bee (Bombus melanopygus)
  • Image may contain Animal Bee Invertebrate Apidae Insect Honey Bee Wasp Andrena Hornet and Bumblebee
    Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net
    12

    claybolt-beautifulbees-13-heriades copy

    'Mason Bee (Heriades sp. Neotrypetes)' “Bees are one of the most accessible and extraordinarily beautiful types of wildlife for children. If we’re going to turn things around, we have to provide ways for children to reconnect with the natural world from an early age,” says Bolt.
Read More
Ebay Has to Pay $55.7 Million in Settlement for Its Unhinged Harassment Campaign
For months on end, eBay employees and contractors made life hell for a couple that had criticized the company. Six years later, the company is finally paying up.
Lauren Goode
Laura Loomer’s Reversal on Ukraine Stirs Up the MAGA Civil War
Donald Trump’s base has been increasingly spilt. Laura Loomer’s sudden embrace of Ukraine has only widened that divide.
David Gilbert
Is the Electric Trike the Next Big Thing in Shared Micromobility?
Veo is launching accessibility-focused electric tricycles in Denver, with plans to put its e-trikes on the streets nationwide.
Boone Ashworth
What WIRED Writers Would Actually Give Their Moms
Your mom never gets you a thoughtless gift, so you shouldn’t get her one, either. Here’s every cool gift WIRED writers would give their mothers.
Nena Farrell
Which Apple Watch Should You Buy?
Should you splurge on the new Series 11, or will the SE 3 do? Let us help you figure out which version to get (and which to avoid).
Boutayna Chokrane
12 Adventurous Gifts for Hikers, Backpackers, and Outdoorsy People
Let them pick out their own hiking boots. Instead, try gifting a useful blade or a nature journal to delight your outdoorsy friend.
Scott Gilbertson
A Two-Person Startup Has Fixed One of the Most Hated Sounds in Modern Life
Beeeep. Beeeep. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
Jeremy White
Can the New York Times Save Journalism From Our AI Overlords?
In 2023, the Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement. They’ve since spent more than $20 million on the case, and publisher A.G. Sulzberger has no plans to stop fighting it.
Katie Drummond
Silicon Valley’s Next IPO Billionaires Are Coming. Nonprofits Are Ready for Them
Anthropic and OpenAI employees are expected to give generously after their companies go public. “It’s going to be a wild ride,” says one nonprofit leader.
Paresh Dave
The Dyson V16 Piston Animal Can Do It All
Dyson’s new stick vacuum can vacuum and mop in a single cordless device—if you’re willing to really splurge.
Nena Farrell
‘They’re Fucking a Lot of People’: 7-OH Users Brace for DEA Ban
The opioid-like compound, which is found in kratom, can cause brutal withdrawal symptoms and will soon be a controlled substance. Some users tell WIRED it has relieved their pain and anxiety.
Manisha Krishnan
An Extreme Solar Storm May Be Even More Devastating Than Previously Imagined
Scientists have long assumed that there’s an upper limit to the intensity of the solar winds that reach Earth. New research suggests there’s not—and the implications are alarming.
Javier Carbajal