Posts Tagged: carpenter bee
When Varroa Mites Hitch a Ride
Those blood-sucking varroa mites (Varroa destructor) are considered the No. 1 enemy of beekeepers....
A varroa mite attached to a honey bee forager. It's the reddish brown spot near the wing. The bee is foraging on lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bumble bee, Bombus californicus, with a hitchhiking varroa mite. (Photo by Allan Jones, Davis)
Varroa mite on a carpenter bee. (Photo by Allan Jones, Davis)
Saga of a Spider's Kill
For more than two weeks now, we've been watching a banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata)...
A banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) straddling lavender stems. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
What prey is this? It appears to be a huge black bee, a female Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of the prey, which turned out to be a female Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Boy Wonder!
I've been waiting for a decade to see a male Valley carpenter bee (Xylocopa varipuncta) foraging in...
A male Valley carpenter bee engaging in nectar robber; he's drilling a hole in a foxglove to get the nectar, avoiding the pollination process. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Male valley carpenter bee foraging on dwarf bulbine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Male Valley carpenter bee "cuddling" a blanket flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Eyeing the photographer, a male Valley carpenter bee gets ready to leave a blanket flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A male Valley carpenter bee lifts off a foxglove. He was early chased by a territorial male European wool carder bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Short Cut
We all take shortcuts. We look for the shortest line at the supermarket, we use keyboard...
A honey bee sipping nectar from a hole drilled by a carpenter bee on a foxglove. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Valley carpenter bee about to drill a hole. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Nectar Robbers
If you have a patch of salvia (sage) growing in your yard, watch for the nectar robbers. Carpenter...
Mountain carpenter bee, Xylocopa tabaniformis orpifex, engaging in nectar robbing. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Side view of nectar robbing by mountain carpenter bee on salvia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bee looks for the hole drilled by a carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bee engaging in nectar robbing. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)