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Denver, CO

I was trying to pollinate a 2nd pumpkin on my 1010 Frantz this morning when I noticed a large bumblebee buzzing around me. It was a greenish-yellow looking bumblebee with a bright orange abdomen. I shooed it away until I was finished pollinating, then I looked to the right of me and the bumblebee was sitting on the ground watching me.

I lowered my face closer to the bee and it did not move. I got even close about 3 inches away and it still did not move. The bee just sat there, rubbing its front legs together and cleaning its self. So I said what the heck and I gently reached down and petted the bee, gently scratching its back with my finger nail. The bee seemed to love it! Then it took flight, flew a couple of circles around me and flew off into the wild.

When I told my family about it they all immediately dubbed me the “bee whisperer”. You just never know what you are going to experience when growing these giant pumpkins!

7/20/2008 1:29:24 PM

Cincinnati,OH

I hear the air is really thin up there.

7/20/2008 1:39:10 PM

Mt.Pleasant,Iowa

lol Ron

7/20/2008 1:43:11 PM

Minnesota([email protected])

Nice! Thanks for sharing.
One of my favorite moments in the patch:
A horsefly was flying around my head, then I heard a buzzing noise, and saw a dragonfly go by. It landed on a nearby fencepost with the horsefly in it's grasp. Man I like dragonflies!

7/20/2008 1:47:49 PM

San Luis Obispo, Ca.

Are you sure that wasn't a Flying Colorado Squirrel? I here they can change colors in the Summer and look a lot like Bumble Bees?

7/20/2008 3:20:09 PM

[email protected]

Bees are cool.

7/20/2008 3:41:39 PM

hamilton,Ontario

were u drinking?????....just kidding

7/20/2008 4:03:53 PM

Minnesota

I saw a fox run by my patch the other morning.

7/20/2008 4:05:28 PM

Pinedale, WY

I had a deer in my garden eating all my great vegetables, and the great thing was it was during hunting season! Oh wait the hunting season thing was a dream...oh crap, my garden is ruined.

7/20/2008 4:08:19 PM

Somers, CT

I had about the same experience with a horsefly. It looked up at me, flew around to the back of my neck and bit me. I slapped it and squished it. Then I had a huge welt on my neck.

7/20/2008 4:22:29 PM

Farmville, Virginia ([email protected])

Bumblebee with a bright orange abdomen?

7/20/2008 4:31:25 PM

Winchendon, MA

You sure it wasnt a humming bird moth. Sounds like what I have in my garden. And they kinda do look like big bees. Just not sure they are out your way too.

7/20/2008 5:02:40 PM

Hyde Park, VT

I tried that last week and got stung right on the end of my nose...

7/20/2008 7:10:02 PM

Denver, CO

LOL, I promise I am not making this up. It was a sureal experince to be sure.
Here is a link to a picture of what I think my bee looked like.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/54419
http://bugguide.net/node/view/188466

7/20/2008 7:42:46 PM

Mt.Pleasant,Iowa

I thought I saw Don Young lurking around my patch but no signs or foot prints.

7/20/2008 8:35:55 PM

Burt NY

sounds like you have been in Littleton

7/20/2008 8:39:38 PM

Santa Rosa California

the bee went to the local pot farm and was high and then it landed at your patch

7/20/2008 9:34:41 PM

Rhode Island

no one likes to break up the party any more that me but that truely was a great experience. a one in a lifetime occurance.

we have tons of bird houses here and i always make a habit of checking on the babies all through the spring and early summer.

last week i to had a great experience as well. a once in a life time thrill.

in one of the nests i had been watching over there were four baby tree swallows all ready to fly the coup.

they were afraid to get out of the box so i held each one briefly then gently tossed them into the air. each .ones at a time flew off into the near by woods.

ps--- my cat calli was a little upset cause i think she thought they would drop right into her mouth-lol

pap

7/20/2008 9:35:04 PM

Dayton OH

I had a butterfly land on my outstretched hand one day ... that was pretty cool.

7/20/2008 10:07:44 PM

[email protected]

I was walking to school one day when I was a kid and saw a bird on a wire. I had a sneaky suspicion he wanted to poop on me, so I took one step under him and then stepped back. I'll be damned if the darn bird didnt take a dump and try to hit me! My buddies I was walking with and I still laugh about that to this day.

7/20/2008 11:01:52 PM

Littleton, Colo

Lol !! I had nothing to do with thiz !! Honest !!

7/20/2008 11:04:34 PM

Cincinnati,OH

So is the naked pumpkin run on for this year ghopson?

7/21/2008 12:28:12 AM

Colorado Springs.Co

So you're a bird lover pap, I went back east in 2001 for the summer and my folks had a pair of barded owls living in the woods and they would perch on a paper birch branch at dusk by the back deck and watch us. There was also a wild turkey that my father called curious george because he would look in the basement windows, of course he was seeing his own reflection but that was a special summer.

7/21/2008 1:15:38 AM

Rhode Island

the older i get the more these things really mean to me.

7/21/2008 5:32:14 AM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

My two yard cats, the bigger is very vocal, and will find something to sit on and tell me and tell me and tell me the whole time I'm in the patch to come out of there (either with maimed fresh prey or...) and provide a meal for him... he can't understand why I spend all that time hunting through the cat-forest (those leaves are meant for padding through) and don't come up with anything but patch rash and leaves... What I would do without his constant commentary and disgust when I finally emerge all smeared up and wet and dirty...

7/21/2008 9:30:15 AM

ghopson,

It sounds like you have a way with bee's!!!

7/21/2008 9:45:34 AM

No Place Special

AWESOME! Pap your experience is fantastic also!!!

7/21/2008 10:22:36 AM

Winchendon, MA

Any one have dragonflies fly and land all over you? I did one year, it was really buggy and they were out full force. They were all over me including my face and I was holding my breath as much as possible without freaking out and screaming. It was so cool!!! I love those dragonflies!!!

7/21/2008 12:08:00 PM

Westford, MA

I put out a few frozen bottles of water to keep some of my pollinations cool, in the heat of last Friday.
Got home from work and found 1 cold 6 pack under each of the pollinations I made that morning.

Is that a sign that they'll Take.
or just that it's the weekend??
kevin

7/21/2008 2:01:40 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

LOL Greg....just another day in Colorado my friend......

7/21/2008 2:22:06 PM

Colorado Springs.Co

Kevin, are you even sure you even made it to work on friday. Do you work at the Packy,lol.

7/21/2008 3:31:55 PM

(rocky) Bonney Lake Wa.

now can you get that bee to do your crosses for ya? That would bee a really cool thing

7/22/2008 7:45:40 AM

porterville, calif.

I was picking some sweatpeas and handing them to my daughter about 10 yrs ago and a couple of bummble bees came up to her and was trying to get to the sweatpeas she was holding. I told her to just stand still and they wouldn,t bother her. They did their thing and went to the next flowers . That was really cool.They were about 2 ft from her face. She was really scared at first then was really excited about what happened. Most bumble bees won,t hurt you. I have several books i have read about them . I,m always trying to attract them to my garden.

7/24/2008 11:35:23 PM