The winning photograph was taken by Abhik Manna, a photographer from India who’s based in the U.S.A. Abhik provided this caption as context:
“Centris Pallida is a species of bee found in the desert of central Arizona and commonly known as digger bee. They get the name for their typical mating behaviour. They live solitary life underground and come out at the beginning of summer for mating. The males fly low over the ground and upon sensing a female, start digging to get the female out. Finding a female bee is very competitive and often multiple males engage in a fight to take authority of a burrow. In the image, two male bees can be seen fighting intensely for one burrow.”
Abhik is a doctoral student in Chemistry who also shares the passion for photographing wildlife. Abhik is from India and photographing since last seven years. Abhik is living in Arizona, USA for last five years to pursue his studies.
Bees Abroad partnered with Wildlife Photographic for the 2023 Photography Competition. As part of this partnership the editor, Bill Gozansky, gave his time to select the winning image. This is what he had to say about the winning shot:
“For me, Abhik Manna’s ‘Fighting Centris pallida’ image stood out in the competition as it is a “story image” illustrating unique bee behavior. Abhik has captured these digger bees in the midst of battle. If one looks closely at this image, there is great intensity in the fight with the sand and dust flying. Kudos to Abhik for capturing such action and intensity on such a small scale.”
As part of the prize, Abhik’s image will be published in Wildlife Photographic, one of the most prestigious wildlife magazines in the world. The magazine is known for its stunning images of animals in their natural habitats, as well as its informative articles on wildlife conservation, biology, and ecology.
The winning photo was put on display at the Wax Chandlers’ Hall in London as part of Bees Abroad’s World Bee Day celebrations.
Wax Chandlers’ Hall is one of the most prestigious livery halls in London, and it is renowned for its stunning architecture and beautiful interior. The hall dates back to the 14th century and has a long and fascinating history. The hall has hosted many important events throughout its history, including royal banquets, state dinners, and other formal occasions.
Bees Abroad partnered with internationally renowned photography magazine, Wildlife Photographic, for our first photography competition. The theme of the competition was ‘Bees in Nature’ – bees of all kinds welcome. We received entries from all over the World: U.K., U.S.A., Singapore, Hong Kong, Bulgaria, and more! We were blown away with the variation and standard of entries. We are planning a people’s vote so the World can see these fantastic images! Which bee will be your favourite?
Bees Abroad
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Telephone: (+44) 07942 815753
Info@beesabroad.org.uk
