Aug 26, 2009
If you're in the right spot at the same time, you may get a double bonus: a non-native bee and a native bee on a native plant.
We took this photo in Healdsburg last week of a non-native bee (the common European or Western honey bee, Apis mellifera) and a native sweat bee (Halictus ligatus) sharing a plant native to the Americas: the sunflower.
A golden moment.
Attached Images:
![TWO ON A SUNFLOWER--A honey bee (Apis mellifera) and a female sweat bee (Halictus ligatus) share a sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) TWO ON A SUNFLOWER--A honey bee (Apis mellifera) and a female sweat bee (Halictus ligatus) share a sunflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/bugsquad/blogfiles/2360.jpg)
Two on a Sunflower
![CLOSE-UP of a honey bee and a sweat bee clearly illustrates the size disparity. The honey bee is covered with pollen from a nearby hollyhock. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) CLOSE-UP of a honey bee and a sweat bee clearly illustrates the size disparity. The honey bee is covered with pollen from a nearby hollyhock. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/bugsquad/blogfiles/2361.jpg)
Close-Up