Honey bees ripen nectar during the spring honey flow.

Urbana, Illinois, USA
A beautiful frame of ripe, capped honey ready for harvest.
A bee drinks nectar from an uncapped cell.
Worker bees ripen nectar in freshly-built honeycomb.
Aethina tumida small hive beetle.
Small hive beetles (Aethina tumida) typically hide in unoccupied sections of the hive.
A queen bee is recognized by her elongate abdomen.
Nectar ripens in open wax cells in a honey bee nest.
Small hive beetles (Aethina tumida) typically hide in unoccupied sections of the hive.
Small hive beetles (Aethina tumida) typically hide in unoccupied sections of the hive.
Small hive beetles (Aethina tumida) typically hide in unoccupied sections of the hive.
See photo in original gallery.
all images and text © Alex Wild 2001-2013