Red lump on leg

[THughes]

Hey all

I'm not a beekeeper or even sure if this is a bee but when I saw this, I thought it would be a good idea to ask the experts.

This little guy turned up at my window and I noticed the red lump on its leg. Any ideas what it might be?

 

[E&MBees]

Hi,
The red lumps are pollen. Bees collect pollen in little sacks on their legs. Are there any Horse Chestnut trees near you? It produces that distinctive red pollen about now. This bee is a worker honey bee. Workers are female.

 

[sean-a]

It's a honey bee with pollen in its legbasket.
Possibly blackthorn pollen

 

[The Poot]

Nice photo
I hope she made it back to her hive after her hard work collecting the pollen.

 

[StephenT]

Here’s a similar one I took the other day. Got shed loads of Horse Chestnut close by.

 

[StephenT]

http://www.sheffieldbeekeepers.org.uk/tools/pollen-chart/
Pollen comes in a multitude of colours. Here’s a chart that shows many of them.

 

[madbeelady]

Hey all

I'm not a beekeeper or even sure if this is a bee but when I saw this, I thought it would be a good idea to ask the experts.

This little guy turned up at my window and I noticed the red lump on its leg. Any ideas what it might be?

Yes that is a honey bee and the "guy" is a gal with pollen on her legs. They use this to make bee bread to feed the babies. Great photo.

 

[Erichalfbee]

They use this to make bee bread to feed the babies. Great photo.

According to research by Randy Oliver and that he has collected from others that’s not quite true.
Larvae are fed royal jelly and fresh pollen. It was thought bee bread was a way of making pollen digestible but the lack of enzymes and bacteria in it seems to render that theory inaccurate. It’s now simply a way of preserving it. The main source of food for the nurse bees when protein stores are low are larvae which are cannibalised and recycled.
Have a look here
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/reevaluating-beebread-part-1-the-story/