This is from the last weekend. The bee seemed to be a guard - while a lot of other bees were being busy in the apple tree, this one managed to stand still in the air, obviously observing me.

That is a fantastic capture! Lucky he wasn't camera shy! Or even worse...as bad as security guards these days trying to stop photographers!

Cool shot G. I like how the dark areas frame the bee. Well done. Is there a chance to lighten the bee and saturate its yellow colour?

Great shot G. Though I think that may not be a bee.... but a bee mimic or Hoverfly. Hover flies tend to just hang in the air for periods of time, where as bees usually only hover when about to land or feed.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/gardens/guide/ato...verfly.asp

Thanks guys!

Craig, I think you're probably right - when I took the shot I thought already that this is funny behaviour for a bee.

Colin, I lit up the bee/fly already. In the original picture it was rather dark. I think Craig is right because this bee is not really colored as a bee should be.

Wow, that is very interesting trivia indeed Craig!

To bee or not to bee...