I can't believe I don't have a bee icon.

[thrillingdetectivetales]

What a tremendous oversight on my part!

Anyway, I have a new post up on my Substack about bee stuff. It's the first in a series called "Tunnelers of Love," which will be exploring some of the coolest species of digger bees I can find.

Here's a little snippet for y'all, as a teaser:

Pallid bees emerge from hibernation in the spring, usually late April or May, and live for about a month on the surface, growing scarce and difficult to find come July. They’re a fairly common bee, considered Least Concern in terms of conservation, and tend to be more active at night when temperatures drop. Not at all surprising, considering that pallid bees live within a few degrees of death, boasting an average internal body temperature of 119 degrees Fahrenheit where 125 would prove fatal.

Newly hatched male pallid bees tunnel their way to the surface first, whereupon they begin searching the previous years’ nesting ground for mates. Partners are much prized in the pallid bee community. A female pallid bee will mate with only one partner before she’s finished for the season. As such, C. pallida’s mating dance is usually more of a fistfight, with male pallid bees scrapping viciously over potential mates and racing each other to every fresh prospect that appears.

You can read the whole thing here on Substack.