At least in Albuquerque, the docile European honeybee hasn’t totally edged out our natives. The prickly pear cactus in my yard has just started blooming which attracts bees from the genus Diadasia, also known as cactus bees.
One very blissed-out cactus bee
These kids are spazzy — like my niece Nina after those twinkies Mimi insists on feeding her — they duck and dive and roll. With the kind of lust possible only after desert-induced deprivation, cactus bees fling themselves into a flower and cover their entire bodies with pollen.
Utter abandoned bliss.
If chocolate suddenly disappeared from shelves in North America, you’d find me with the frenzy of a cactus bee, bathing in Scharffen Berger the minute I tracked down a source.
mistress beek 
This is a great site for us beekeepers… This is my first year as a top bar hive keeper and its so nice to read about other people’s experiences. I especially appreciate your advice about powdered sugar for varroa… is it plain powdered sugar (with the cornstarch) you buy at the store?
Thanks for stopping by!
Yep, I use plain powdered sugar (without corn starch) from the store. Sometimes, I’ll be buy organic powdered sugar.
We don’t have anything wo whacked as a cactus bee up here. Mason orchard bees still do their thing, though. 🙂