wanderings out of time

I just found out about the existence of orchid bees! What can you tell me about them?

sure! orchid bees are weird tiny shiny solitary bees that spend their time pretty much like all solitary bees do, hunting for nectar and trying not to get eaten by birds.

but when a female orchid bee is selecting from her bouquet of suiters, she really only has one thing in mind- his smell!

the smelliest males are the most attractive to her, for god only knows what secret bee reason, so accordingly the male bees spend pretty much all their time finding things with strong smells and then. rolling in them.

this does include pleasant things like flowers, yes, but also some weirder stuff like fungi and tree sap. if they made an Eu De Bee it would probably smell pretty pungent to us!

not that they shouldn't do that. I am in favor of Eu De Bee

so a male bee healthy enough to range far and wide dunking his stubby little shiny butt in whatever smells interesting is what carries the day, for the females! she will mate with him and lay some eggs about it.

also they sleep suspended with their jaws clamped onto random shit, like this