Gallery: Bee Close-Ups Reveal the Glorious Beauty of Our Troubled Friends
Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net01claybolt-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.
Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net02claybolt-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.
Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net03claybolt-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.”
Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net04claybolt-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.
Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net05claybolt-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.
Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net06claybolt-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!”
Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net07claybolt-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.
Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net08claybolt-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.
Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net09claybolt-beautifulbees-10-xylocopa-ceratina copy
Eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica) and Small Carpenter Bee (Ceratina sp.)
Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net10claybolt-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.
Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net11claybolt-beautifulbees-12-bombus-melanopygus copy
Black-tailed Bumble Bee (Bombus melanopygus)
Photo: Clay Bolt / beautifulbees.org / meetyourneighbours.net12claybolt-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.
