Honey for a sweet new year

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Tonight is Erev Rosh Hashana when Jews everywhere dip apples in honey and say the blessing asking God to grant us a sweet new year.
The tree hollow you see in the photo contains a hive of native Australian bees, busy making honey. 

It says they are stingless, never come out if it is raining or below 18 C, and pollinate within a half kilometer radius.
You can enlarge the photo to read the sign. 

The unusual hive is but one of the discoveries we made today at the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden.
Sweet daughter Naomi took me around the trails for several hours in the warm spring sun.
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A good and sweet new year 5776 to all!
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UPDATE: Just saw this interesting article about how Israel is teaching America successful methods of using eucalyptus trees and flowers and Texas bushes underneath to help bees in their pollination. And also selling eucalyptus seeds to Jordan and India for the same purpose.   Beekeepers in Israel have not suffered from  the Colony Collapse Disorder that threatens many countries.
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(Linking to Camera Critters.)
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Bees: life on the edge

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It's hot and dry the whole summer long in Israel and even bees have to search for a drink.
It might take some enlarging of the photo, but here's at least four bees quenching their thirst at my neighbors' birdbath.
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Be careful little critters, don't fall in and drown!
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The two on the right are making tiny shadows and one is even making ripple-shadows.

Hmm, this might be a triple-meme photo opp, for Camera Critters, Shadow Shot Sunday, and Summer Stock Sunday.
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P.S. Shadow Shot visitors, check out an earlier fun post with people shadows and our new tram.
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UPDATE: I should have quoted the 23rd Psalm to title this post:
"He leadeth me beside the still waters."
Like maybe deer, bees prefer to drink from quiet water. My neighbors have to turn off the fountain element of the birdbath just for the bees.
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The birds and the bees

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The "wildlife" sightings in my neighborhood for Camera-Critters were pretty tame today.
We had the birds and the bees, as usual.

The neighbor's pet pigeons were out for their daily exercise.
They are of a special breed with feathers on their legs and feet.
Remember the post on the ugly chick?

The bees were buzzing at the doors to their colorful bee boxes.

And a cat was preening on the shed roof as Jerusalem on the hill turned gold with the last rays of the Sabbath sun.

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Another quiet Shabbat in the Jerusalem Hills.

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The bees and the birds

The second annual National Pollinator Week was celebrated June 22-28.
So I learned from Michelle in her very informative post at Rambling Woods. Thanks, Michelle, and thanks to all the bees, birds, insects, and bats who do such important pollination work.
These bee boxes sit among the olives and other trees native to the Mediterranean Woodland type of forest.
The beekeeper said it was a record harvest of honey this year. Sweet!
When he is tending his bees I am not allowed to walk my regular path in the woods.

From here in the Jerusalem Hills we see Jerusalem over on the hilltop.

Every weekend you can enjoy other bloggers' animal pictures at the Camera-Critters meme.