In appearance, they are able to gain protection from predators and even act as bee In fact, many flower-visiting flies are actuallybee mimics. There are two major groups of insects that are commonly confused with bees-flies and Leg that is bare and surrounded by incurving hairs. Female bees also have special pollen-carrying hairs or other structures commonly found on the hind legs or the underside of the abdomen.įor example, honey bees carry pollen in a pollen basket which is an area on the hind The legs and four wings (two forewings and two hind-wings). That include jaws for chewing, and a tongue for drinking nectar. The head consists of compound eyes, antennae that are segmented and bent, mouthparts Yellow-faced or masked bees (Hylaeus spp.)īees, like other insects, have three body segments: a head, thorax, and abdomen.The carpenter bee seems to be one of the primary native bees that pollinate agricultural crops. Therefore, it is important to exterminate carpenter bees that have infested your home.” However, given enough time and enough seasons spent in the nest, the Carpenter Bee can chew a simple, but prolific tunnel & gallery network through a house’s timbers. Females are attracted from downwind and choose a male with which to mate.”ĭesertUSA goes on to note: “The damage done by carpenter bees to residence in a wooden structure is usually quite superficial. As a group they actively release their rose-scented blend of chemicals. Territorial males take up positions in non-flowering plants near other males. Its green-eyed golden males have huge perfume glands in their thoraces. The US Forest Service notes that the “showoff” behavior of male bees is part of the mating ritual: “A widespread western US species, Xylocopa varipuncta, has an unusual mating system. But if you intrude into her space, she may attack. She wants you to think that she’s a lady. The female, as you might expect, behaves with far more dignity and restraint. He wants you to think that he’s aggressive and threatening-a bully. ![]() “In the spring, especially around nesting sites, the male carpenter bee may turn into a perfect showoff, careening and buzzing through the air and bumping clumsily into whatever gets in his way. However, unlike honey bees and bumble bees there are no queen or worker castes, only individual males and females.” These observations have led some entomologists to consider carpenter bees primitively social. ![]() Biologists using observation nests or X-ray imaging techniques have observed returning foragers feeding other nest mates. Often newly hatched daughters, live together in their nest with their mother. Sometimes a single entrance hole will lead to many “galleries” that are used by several females.Īccording to the US Forest Service: “Carpenter bees are long lived, up to three years and there can be one or two generations per year. After five to seven weeks, young bees burrow out of the tunnel.Ĭarpenter bees often reuse their tunnels. She then repeats the process until the hole is filled with eggs. The egg chamber is partitioned off from the rest of the cavity with a wall made of saliva and wood debris thereby making separate brood chambers for each egg. She stocks the cavity with nectar and pollen, then deposits an egg in the cavity. For larger flowers, such as cactus flowers, the carpenter bee is a valuable pollinator.Īfter mating, the female prepares for egg laying by using her strong mandibles to chew a half-inch diameter circular tunnel in a dead branch, soft lumber, or yucca or agave stalks. In that case, the bee makes an incision at the base of the flower to sip nectar. Its legs have dense, electrostatically charged hairs for gathering pollen.īecause of its large size, the carpenter bee often cannot fit into smaller flowers to get nectar. The female carpenter bee has a shiny, hairless, black abdomen. See more photos: Valley Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa varipuncta) here, Western Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa californica) here and Horsefly-like Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa tabaniformis) here.
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