![]() They are known for their positive pollination role in woodlands and with flowering plants found in deserts. Western Carpenter Bees are commonly seen in late summer. These bees have black wings and black antennae. These bees are easy to recognize as they’re mostly black.įemales are darker than males who also tend to have a few light hairs. They are seen in the forests and meadows of Arizona. Western Carpenter Western Carpenter BeeĪlso known as the California Carpenter, the Western Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa californica) is native American. Honey from these bees is known for being made from the pollen of various flowering plants. Nesting in cavities, these bees have a major pollination role. These bees are known to live in wetlands and drylands, provisioned there’s sufficient water and food around. Worker Western Honey Bees grow to a maximum size of 15mm. Western Honey Bee queens grow to 20mm compared to males known as drones who only grow to 17mm. While there are 26 similar subspecies of Western Honey Bees, these can be identified by orange-yellow rings, black bands, and a hairy thorax.īees of the genus grow largest when they’re queens. This species is common around the world with a very wide distribution from the 17th century to this day. Nothing of the sort had happened, however, simply the presence of the bees was perceived an unbearable threat to the lady.The Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) is the most common species in Arizona. In the not so rational conversation which followed, the question if the bees had ever behaved aggressively or stung anyone arose. Even as she removed the bees from the plastic bags with her bare hands the fear of the wild bees could not be diminished. Despite a large amount of mistrustfulness, there was at the same time a fascination which spurned the wish to release the two surviving bees from the plastic bags into her garden. The last resort was to cut down the apple tree at night. Since the lady felt threatened by the bees she only went into the garden armed with a badminton racket. The owner of the garden admitted that the bees first showed up in 2006 and moved into the apple tree on the warm southern exposed side of the barn wall. The tree surely would have survived for several decades more, carried fruit and served as a living space for the bees. They acquire access from the surface through cracks caused by frost. It was here that the bees established their brood in a textbook fashion. The heartwood of the tree was highly decomposed by the shaggy bracket fungus ( Inonotus hispidulus). During the unpacking twelve dead and two living specimens of the violet carpenter bee were found. The female only gnaws a nesting gallery to create a brooding chamber in woody substances already susceptible to breakage.Īt a local appointment in a beautiful old town garden with a mature stand of fruit trees the smoking gun was presented: An old apple tree, cut in meter-long pieces and stored in escape proof plastic bags. Larva feed in brooding galleries on "pollen cakes" carried in by adults Nests in self gnawed galleries in wood already susceptible to breakage (branches, stems, stakes and beams) ![]() Sun-exposed, flower and dead wood rich orchards, gardens, parks, forest edges and lightly stocked forests They can sting, however, they are not aggressive A gardener was also asked for help and identified the object as a "large fruit tree moth" - a butterfly species that doesn't even exist (author's note).īody similar to a bumble bee, but 2.5 cm larger than native bumble bee species, covered in black hairs, wings with a metallic blue-violet luster. A previous consultation from an exterminator had no success since the "UFO" was not to be found in his book on household and food storage pests. She asked for help since a large unknown winged insect was in her orchard and was surely up to no good. In August of 2016 a panic stricken resident called the author. Since then the species has been observed in natural areas where it has never been seen before. In a period of more than 150 years (from 1850-2004) only seventy-five reports of the violet carpenter bee have been documented in Bavaria.
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