Slow TV – Bee Roll (*Other Pollinators Available)

Afterthoughts & Addenda Audio - I realise it would have been nice to hear natural sounds for this video; the soft buzzing of the bumblebees, the songs of nearby birds and such, but that couldn't happen for a couple of reasons: partly because the insects are recorded in 2x slow motion - from experimentation with footage prior to this recording, it's hard to see what's really going on at normal speed (turns out 'busy bee' is more than just an aliterative phrase) and partly because when I recorded this, there are builders working on my house, so the recorded background sound would just have been saws and drills and hammering. I suppose I could have dubbed it over with different nature sounds, but that seemed wrong. The music is Hector Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique Op.14 - III. Adagio - public domain music from musopen.org/

Berlioz was really lovely with this.

Absolutely delightful! So relaxing and calming. Thanks for not including slow-mo(?) building sounds 😄. This music is perfect.

Lovely! Thank you for making me smile. My better half and I recently purchased our own home. One thing I appreciate about it is that we're able to give over a large part of our backyard to dandelions. I often idle away in the shaded part of our catio, a cat or two on my lap, and watch the bees flitting about. We did this in part in memory to our tame wasps who we lost in 2009 to the apian die off. We were living in a townhouse in Salinas, California, USA at the time; it's a largish city completely surrounded by agricultural land and because of the weather patterns it gets a lot of airborne pesticide and herbicide overspray. In '97 or '99 wasps built a nest under the eaves of our backyard roofline. I didn't want to drive them off so I consulted with a retired neighbor, a man who had worked on ranchos and US farms most of my life. He advised me to set out a shallow dish of shredded meat mixed with Mexican Coca Cola (it uses cane sugar) near the nest. It worked like a charm; they had a steady springtime food source, and so were rarely more than curious about humans or pets and were never aggressive. When they died off I was heartbroken. When all three of the wasp nests at my worksite also died off I was very, very concerned.

Oh... I could watch this all day. I would leave it on just for my cats when I go to work

Lovely video. I'm always happy to see Bees going about their daily and vital business. I love to see the ones with their collections of pollen attached to their legs. It's damp and nasty where I live today, but I have a seat underneath some big trees at the end of my garden - a Horse Chestnut, an Oak, a Cherry tree, a Sycamore, and in the garden to the rear of mine, is an enormous Eucalyptus. The rain has a hard job getting to my bench. I sat there today, drinking a cup of tea, and watching the clouds scudding across the grey sky, when I was joined by a big, beautiful Bumblebee (alliteration, yes, I know. Sorry). It sat next to me on the bench, in a manner that suggested to me it was thinking: 'Bloody weather', for about ten minutes or so, and then chugged off to continue whatever Bee things it was doing. Bees are incredible creatures, and I still can't see why some people are terrified of them. Yes, they sting, but that's their last resort. If Bees ever die out - be afraid. Be very afraid. Lovely video Mike, and your music choice is impeccable. Nice one. 👍👍👍 🐝🐝🐝

Love the efficiency of the bees, also imagining the thrill of the plants when one comes to visit.

Just what I needed, beautiful music, droning bees and swaying blooms. What’s not to like about that? Just watching those fat bumblers emerging from the foxglove blooms and then re-enter for more pollen, puts a relaxing smile on my face and makes me happy. Thank you for that xx

It's so wonderful and calming to watch. And bumble bees are one of my favourite insects, especially with their little yellow trousers. Thanks for sharing.

Look at all those flowers, presenting themselves to every pollinator! Scandalous! Jokes aside it's an absolutely brilliant video

The music gives me whimsical 'Weirs Way' vibes. Check him out and his wee bobble bunnet 😂 beautiful, just what I needed right at this moment. Thank you.

Normally, I'm not into Slow TV, but I've BEEn excited since you mentioned this video in a Random Stuff, and it didn't disappoint. Especially the footage of the fluffy foxglove-foragers!

Fantastic what a beautiful site , so calming & loving the music 😊 Thanks Atomic shrimp 🦐😌👍

Watching this video made me feel very emotional. Seeing all the colourful flowers, the wildlife going about and just being themselves - just reminds me more and more how precious these things are. How we must continually strive to protect such natural wonders.

Good video. Well worth the time to watch. Bees and such are a pleasure to watch, in real, not just on a video.

ty for making this, shrimp. this is quality content that makes me feel a little bit better about the world. i bet it's especially nice for people who can't go outside and enjoy it firsthand.

Glorious. I love a bit of slow TV. Thanks Mr Shrimp :)

So relaxing and calming.

Always lovely to watch bees in action. A friend has Salvia guaranitica, a tall variety with deep blue flowers. The tubes are so long and slim that the fat bumblebees can't get in, so they think outside the blossom and chew a hole to reach the nectar. For more about bees, you may enjoy ZeFrank's vid True Facts: Bees That Play With Balls.

It was a busy little day at work today. It was nice to just watch bugs on flowers for a bit.