They live throughout the world wherever woody plants abound, especially in forested regions, with the most species living in the tropics.
Carpenter bees are mostly large, metallic-colored bees that have 730 species. Unlike the insidious carpenter ant, which is a nuisance that can damage property, the Carpenter Bee generally chews plant stalks or tree branches to house its nest- they definitely do not like painted or treated wood of any type. This is ironic as nature has left him ill prepared: he has no stinger! Only the female can sting. One interesting fact about the Orchid bee is that the male spends most of his time flying around the nest playing guard. Orchid Bees have a hairless head with antennae compound, wide spread eyes, jaws, a proboscis (mouth structure) with tongue for nectar gathering. Bees are therefore a good thing to have in a flower or vegetable garden. The pollen they inevitably lose in going from flower to flower is important to plants because some pollen lands on the pistils (reproductive structures) of other flowers of the same species, resulting in cross-pollination. Orchid Bees are dependent on pollen as a protein source and on flower nectar or oils as an energy source.Īdult females collect pollen primarily to feed their larvae. A close relative of the bumble bee, it has a long tongue that allows it to reach nectar deep inside tropical flowers. Some are known to fly as far as 45 to 50 km (28 to 31 mi) in search of flowers. Orchid bees are fast, strong fliers and can travel great distances. The orchid bee (above two photos) is one of the most brilliantly colored insects, and may appear metallic green, blue, purple, gold, or red besides black. But if I’m busy trimming on a ladder, here they come! I also collected carcasses to study and identify the species. For weeks I have tried to get close up pictures but it seems like they sense the camera- I would sit for an hour with camera in hand, nada. Unlike their cousins the bumble bee, the subspecies that have staked out my flowers are a unique shiny black. Both species reside in the Riviera Nayarit as they prefer the tropical and subtropical regions of the western hemisphere.
They first started appearing en masse in early May, and now that the breeding business is done, it is more common to see lone bees feeding. They both are very large bees, averaging about 1.5 inches (5 cm) long with chunky, smooth bodies. It is while pruning away that I have come up close and personal with several species of bees that are quite interesting, and luckily for me, don’t generally sting unless you disturb the nest.ĭon’t let the name mislead you, the Orchid Bee and Carpenter Bee enjoy lots of different varieties of blooms. So I happily spend hours each day elbow deep in vegetation with a clipper in hand. While there should be time freed up because there is no need to water plants, the explosive growth of all the fauna requires twice as much effort just to keep the yard from being overtaken. To a person who prides herself on being a serious gardener, the tropical rainy season is a mixed blessing.
0 kommentar(er)
