Posts Tagged: Xylocopa varipuncta
Got Milkweed? Bees Like It, Too!
The Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, stocks a "Got Milkweed?"...
A male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta (aka "teddy bear bee"), heads for the showy milkweed, Asclepias speciosa. A honey bee is already there. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Three's a crowd? That's how many bees are on this milkweed. One carpenter bee and two honey bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of the male Valley carpenter bee's tongue or proboscis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A female Valley carpenter bee arrives to take her share. The male of this species is a green-eyed blond (a clear case of of sexual dimorphism). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Beauty of a Carpenter Bee's Wings
There's an old saying applicable to child-rearing: "First you give them roots, and then you give...
Iridescent wings of a female Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta. The bee is nectaring on showy milkweed, Asclepias speciosa, but she's the one putting on a show. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bigger, Better, Buglier: Impressive Science
Oh, the bugs! Bigger. Better. Buglier. It was Saturday, April 18, the 103rd annual UC Davis...
Robbin Thorp, UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor of entomology, chats with Adne Burruss, 6, of Irvine. (Photos by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A close-up of a male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, held by Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis.
Future entomologist? Julianna Amaya, 10, of Martinez is fascinated by an Australian walking stick.
Entomologist and Bohart Museum associate Jeff Smith talks butterflies to Ted Swift and his daughter Grace Swift, 10, of Davis.
Fran Keller, assistant professor at Folsom Lake College, staffs the Bohart Museum gift shop.
Carpenter Bee: Beneficial Insect or Pest?
Let's face it--some folks are not fond of carpenter bees. Honey bees, yes! Bumble bees, yes!...
A female mountain carpenter bee, Xylocopa tabaniformis orpifex, pierces the corolla of salvia to rob the nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A male mountain carpenter bee, Xylocopa tabaniformis orpifex, heads for bulbine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A familiar sight: a female Valley carpenter bee, covered with pollen and nectaring on a passion flower. The female is solid black, while the male of this species is a green-eyed blond. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A male Valley carpenter bee, Xyclopa varipuncta, pierces the corolla of a foothill Penstemon. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Female carpenter bees, Xyclopa variuncta, often drill holes in limbs of dead trees to build their nests. This find, from Davis naturalist/photographer Allan Jones, shows a male wintering inside one of the holes. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Sharing the Bounty with the Bees
Move over, monarchs. Bees--and other pollinators--gravitate toward the enticing aroma of the...
A male leafcutter bee, Megachile sp., in flight, heading toward the milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A male leafcutter bee, Megachile sp., sips nectar from a milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, a green-eyed blond, sipping nectar from the milkweed.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A female Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, sipping nectar from the milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee leaving with pollinia (pollen structure) from the milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)