This afternoon I loaded a roll of TriX400 B&W film into my Canon SLR and with the macro lens went to shoot the red sunflowers… The strong wind had knocked them around a bit, so I straightened them up & was holding the stripey sunflower up when I noticed the new yellow bits on its surface…

While holding the flower, I focused the macro lens and was about to take a shot when a bumble bee flew straight in and landed right where I was focused! As it ate pollen I started shooting & got maybe 5 or 6 clear shots. Usually catching focus is difficult because they don’t sit still for long, but this time it landed right on cue!

In return, about ten minutes later I noticed another bumble bee lying flat out on a drain pipe. I’ve read that if you ever see an exhausted bee, you should give them honey or sugary water to resuscitate them. I put some honey on a knife..

Bumble bee reacted immediately!
When I checked half an hour later, was gone.

Yay!
I don’t see many bees in my garden,
so it’s mainly bumble bees doing all the pollinating work.
More bumble bee conservation info HERE

UPDATE: I did the wrong thing!

https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/bee-faqs/should-i-feed-bumblebees-sugar-water

“There are some occasions where bumblebees are genuinely in need of an energy boost, for example if a bee has been caught out in bad weather or has been grounded for a long time. The above mentioned study found that bumblebee queens rested for an average of about 30 minutes and sometimes up to almost 45 minutes. Anything over that could mean the bee is in trouble, in which case you may want to help move it to a nearby bee-friendly flower.

How to prepare sugar water
If there are no bee-friendly flowers around, mix 50/50 white sugar and water to give the bumblebee a one-off energy boost, providing the carbohydrates it needs to fly. Simply offer a drop or two of sugar water up to the front end of the bee on a teaspoon or an upturned drinks cap in a sheltered place and allow the bee time to recuperate. It is not advisable to use brown sugar as it is harder for bees to digest.

Can I feed a stranded bumblebee some honey?
Do not give bumblebees honey as this can contain pathogens (which is why honeybee keepers never feed shop-bought honey to their bees).