Photographer Page

Anand Varma

A researcher from University of California-Davis checking on honeybee hives in an almond orchard. Bees collect many substances from their environment—including many types of microbes.

Scientists use a fine mist created by ultrasonic foggers to visualize the airflow around the wing of an Anna’s hummingbird in flight. At the end of each half-stroke, its wings flip more than 90 degrees and reverse course. Hummingbirds are the only birds that can truly fly backward.

An Anna's hummingbird, named after Duchess of Rivoli Anna Masséna, perches on a branch under simulated rain in a previously unpublished image.

An adult worker honeybee, Apis mellifera, foraging in an almond flower.

An amphipod invaded by the larva of a thorny-headed worm.

The larva of the trematode worm infects the tadpoles of an American bullfrog.

Larvae of the horsehair worm infiltrates a cricket and grows inside.

In a home lab Varma has been raising moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita).

This photo shows pupae developing into adult bees. When 10 days old, bees secrete wax, which they then use to build honeycomb in perfect hexagons. Why the hexagon? It provides the most amount of space using the least amount of wax.

Commercial beekeepers, like Bret Adee in this photo, truck their thousands of hives all over the U.S. to pollinate different commercial crops. Honeybees are responsible for bringing $15 billion to the U.S. economy.