This bumblebee seems to be cleaning or adjusting one of his antennae and it caused me to wonder why. What are the antennae used for? Bumblebee.org had the answer—the antennae are used for smelling and touching. Taste and smell are conveyed to the bee through tiny hairs on the antennae.
Amazingly, bumblebees have a built-in antenna cleaner on each front leg, a notch between the metatarsus and the tibia. As bumblebee.org describes it, “The antenna is inserted into the notch then the metatarsus is bent enclosing the antenna. The antenna is then pulled through the notch and any debris or pollen is caught on the comb fringing the notch.” That site has lots more great information on the bumblebee, including electron microscope photos of the bee and a diagram of the antenna cleaner.
Bumblebee grooming an antenna
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I still can’t believe some of the shots you get. The detail in this one is incredible.
Thanks. The light was really good and I managed to get the focus right. In fact, I thought I had used my macro lens for this shot, but when I looked at the info for the image, I realized that I had used my telephoto zoom lens.
That’s a beautiful shot. I love watching houseflies do similar to this! They rub their legs together like they’re formulating a plan. Lol
Thanks. It’s amazing to watch insects–sometimes I can figure out what they are doing, but often I can’t. I usually make up my own explanations of what they are doing (and why) and usually it’s more exciting than the reality. I also will make up my own names for insects and birds when I can’t identify them.
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