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Unbeelievably beautiful: Remarkable photographs reveal the complexity - and alien-like appearance - of the humble bee
The images were taken by the U.S. Geological Survey's Bee Inventory and Monitoring programme Each macro photo is a composite of between 20 and 300 individual photos, taken at slightly different distances Some bees have no stripes and their shapes range from large bumblebees to those as small as a grain of rice
By Ellie Zolfagharifard PUBLISHED: 14:11 GMT, 28 August 2013 | UPDATED: 14:57 GMT, 28 August 2013

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These stunning images prove there is more to bees than meets the eye - in a kaleidoscope of colours which spectacularly show off their hidden differences. The pictures, taken by the U.S. Geological Survey's Bee Inventory and Monitoring programme, show that bees' colours range from blue to green, that some have no stripes and that their shapes range from large bumblebees to those as small as a grain of rice. There are more than 4,000 bee species in North America alone, with 20,000 worldwide, and the programme has spent nearly 10 years capturing the insects and documenting them in stunning detail.

The pictures, taken by the U.S. Geological Surveys Bee Inventory and Monitoring program, show that bees colours range from blue to green, that some have no stripes and that their shapes range from large bumblebees to those as small as a grain of rice

Sam Droege, 55, the head of the programme, said that each macro photo is a composite of between 20 and 300 individual photos, taken at slightly

different distances. This gives a great depth of field and allows the bees to be studied more closely. Only after accidentally meeting up with researchers in the U.S. Army Public Health Command did we develop the current hi-res system, he said. The Army developed the basics so that they could receive high quality pictures of pests from foreign bases that they could then identify to species.

There are more than 4,000 bee species in North America alone, with 20,000 worldwide, and the programme has spent nearly 10 years capturing the insects and documenting them in stunning detail

Sam Droege, said that the images were the result of an accidental meeting with researchers in the U.S. Army Public Health Command. 'The Army developed the basics so that they could receive high quality pictures of pests from foreign bases that they could then identify to species,' he said.

We modified their approach in late 2010 and have now taken shots of over 500 species of bees and other species. Bees come in so many different shapes and sizes because there are so many sizes and shapes to flowers - the two co-evolved together and created specialised systems where certain species of bees only pollinate certain species of plants, using their special bee tools and bee abilities. These colours seem unconventional only because people don't pay too much attention. They are common, native species, which we usually ignore because they are small and don't sting us - each has evolved different colours and shapes to best fit their lifestyle.

Bees come in so many different shapes and sizes because there are so many sizes and shapes to flowers - the two co-evolved together and created specialised systems where certain species of bees only pollinate certain species of plants

The photography team modified their approach in late 2010 and have now taken shots of over 500 species of bees and other species

The colours seem unconventional because people often don't pay too much attention to bees. 'They are common, native species, which we usually ignore because they are small and don't sting us,' said Sam Droege, who led the photography team

Bees are found everywhere - in the middle of fields, urban areas, gardens and even in marshes where they forage on blooming wetland plants.

Most people are completely oblivious to the existence of the many species of small solitary bees nesting in their lawns because they do not sting and don't match our mind picture of what a bee should look like. I love creating keys for identification, the challenge of hunting for bees in the field, and the simple enjoyment of looking at beautiful animals under the microscope for hours at a time. It's the best job in the world.

The photos were taken at slightly different distances. This gives a great depth of field and allows the bees to be studied more closely

'I love creating keys for identification, the challenge of hunting for bees in the field, and the simple enjoyment of looking at beautiful animals under the microscope for hours at a time. It's the best job in the world,' said Sam Droege

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Comments (23)
Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View all Dangerous nasty and viscious kill them. And of course they are alien like - they are not human. - Pi , Meckhah, United Kingdom, 29/8/2013 03:10 Click to rate Report abuse Rating (0)

Dangerous nasty and viscious kill them. And of course they are alien like - they are not human. - Pi , Meckhah, United Kingdom, 29/8/2013 03:10 Click to rate Report abuse without bees there will be no us. We really need to work harder to save these amazing creatures - Rick Rubin , cybertron, Vatican, 29/8/2013 02:46 Click to rate Report abuse When you say "Unbeelievably beautiful: Remarkable photographs reveal the complexity - and alien-like appearance - of the humble bee" do you really mean, a far too close-making them look creepy-& now I'll have nightmares about them? - Jessica , Preston, United Kingdom, 29/8/2013 00:05 Click to rate Report abuse Bee-utiful creatures. - FSUK , Surrey, United Kingdom, 28/8/2013 23:11 Click to rate Report abuse There's a bit on your nose, mate. - Catastrophique , Non Stop Erotic Cabernet, Equatorial Guinea, 28/8/2013 21:53 Click to rate Report abuse How cute,me and my children call the big bees 'Plumpies' - pinki , glasgow, United Kingdom, 28/8/2013 21:50 Click to rate Report abuse Very industrious little creatures. It is to be hoped for all our sakes, the bee colonies never manage to "organize" - dave1 , rossendale, 28/8/2013 21:37 Click to rate Report abuse A few things. This is obviously a worthwhile project, and these images are useful scientific tools. However all these bees are very obviously dead. Also neither the lighting, or the poses are the best out there by a long way. There's nothing knew about focus stacking for extended depth of field and I've been using it since about 2006. There are much better focus stacked images for general viewers available, and many are of live insects. If anyone wants to see really beautiful focus stacked images then I highly recommend they look on Flickr for the work of the likes of John Hallmen from Sweden - just Google his name and you will find it straight away. He as been featured in the DM in the past. However, he has produced far more work now, and a spectacular book, which is unfortunately only available in Swedish. - Stephen , Lancs, 28/8/2013 21:25 Click to rate Report abuse Bees MUST be protrcted at all costs. We owe so much to these industrious little creatures. - Smallgreenbouncyone , here, 28/8/2013 20:37 Click to rate Report abuse Share this comment The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Rating 38 Rating (0) Rating 4 Rating 4 Rating 6 Rating 2 Rating 5 Rating (0) Rating (0)

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