There are a number of flowering plants in our garden but honey bees are only interested in one particular white rose shrub. It has dozens of flowers and almost everyone is being tendered by a little industrious worker these days.
These are smaller, gentler bees so it is easy to take close-ups of this intricate process.
Other insects were also present to take advantage of this opportunity. I spotted this yellow paper wasp sitting quietly and basking under the spring sun. Paper wasps carry a painful sting but only show aggressive behaviour if threatened. They get their name from the paper-like hives they build from fibres and deadwood.
Then I spotted a very large hornet with orange and black stripes on its abdomen. I haven't seen anything like it before. I tried to fix my camera on it but it was moving too fast to give me any chance.
Then all of a sudden, it attacked an unsuspecting bee, chopped off its head in an instant and flew away with its body. I have read that hornets kill bees to feed their young but witnessing an actual event was shocking. I am not sure whether it was the feared 'Japanese killer hornet' or one of its local cousins. Anyway, it was not a happy ending to an otherwise excellent afternoon.
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