A Rare Moment Captured Up Close. Cactus Bees Swarmed In Tight Balls “Bee Balling”

A female cactus bee (Diadasia rinconis) emerged from its little, cylindrical nest in the ground on a warm spring morning in South Texas, rising like ash from a chimney.

Hundreds of patrolling males mobbed her almost instantaneously, their tawny bodies forming a buzzing, churning “mating ball” as they competed for a chance to copulate with her.

The ball of bees faded after a tumultuous 20 seconds or so, and the female soared away, a solitary victorious male clutching her back. Image credit: BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition/Karine Aigner