Can you id this Bee?

[GSF]

I'm not sure what kind of bee this is. That's an Italian beside it. The Italian is smaller than most I have. I figure it was booted out of the hive at an early age. (probably because of me being in the hive yesterday)

Can anyone recommend a safe download or purchase for editing pictures?

[iddee]

Don't know what the bee is, but for pics, I use gimp.

http://www.gimp.org/

[BeeMaster2]

I don't know. At first I thought it was a copy cat fly but I do not think so. Does it have 5 eyes like a honey bee or just 2 like a fly. None of the shots show the location of the three eyes. It is not a black German bee, too much hair and the abdomen is too small and not striped.
Jim

[GSF]

This probably ain't no help, but the eyes looks to be like the Italians except more narrow. (probably because it's smaller)

I was kind of getting my hopes up that we may have some feral black bees around here. Although I wouldn't know them if I saw them.

[BeeMaster2]

Picture of black German bee:
https://www.google.com/search?q=black+german+bees&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari#biv=i%7C2%3Bd%7CdjuL_p_R2t65yM%3A

[BlueBee]

Don't know.  It's blacker than my Carniolans.

[millipede]

Definitely a bee. Four wings and bent antennae. Though what kind, I could not tell you.

[T Beek]

Looks like a Black Bee to me, likely feral.  I'd like to see it beside an Italian for size comparison.

I've been seeing more of them every year, especially when open feeding my bees but also in the garden.  They're roughly 1/4 smaller than my bees, which are Buckfest Italians.

Some folks out there will tell you NO WAY the black bees are gone forever or claim they are just old bees with their hair rubbed off :roll:, but seeing is believing and I LIKE seeing them very much.

[GSF]

Hey T Beek,

In the first picture I have it beside a "small" italian. I'm like you, I hope these are out there. I've been around here almost all my life and I have never seen a colony of these. I have a piece of plywood underneath the entrance of my hive so I can check on what they chunk out.

[T Beek]

Yep, sorry I totally missed the first pic  .  Can't wait to catch a swarm of these girls.

[10framer]

i use lightroom and iphoto.  i tried to adjust one of yours but the file is too small for my old eyes to work with it.  
some of the shrinkage may be due to mummification.  i haven't seen black bees since the early 2000's.  i removed a hive from a house in harris county georgia in the fall of 1999 and kept them for a few years but the eventually became mutts.  there used to be a good population all up and down the chattahoochee river still around then but they seem to be gone now too.  if you do find them they are a pain to work with.  they run on the comb more than any other bees i've ever worked with and they are mean.  i'd love to have some again but i'm not too hopeful.  

[GSF]

In the link that 10framer gave those pictures looked similar to this bee. For some reason the rings wouldn't come out in the picture. It could actually be hair and with my eyes it looks like rings.

T Beek, I can email you the pics if you desire. I don't know if there's a reducing effect when we upload or not. I may need to go back and take it with a setting that allows a big picture.

[Bee Happy]

I had some Carniolans from an "italian" queen who had apparently bred with a carni drone; they were about that color.

[GSF]

It seems like I remember years ago these little bees would get in front of you and just hoover. It was a solid sort of loud sound with a mild touch of anger in the tone.

[T Beek]

It seems like I remember years ago these little bees would get in front of you and just hoover. It was a solid sort of loud sound with a mild touch of anger in the tone.

Fiesty little black bees  :)