Thursday, June 28, 2012

Flight of the Carpenter Bee

Carpenter bees are frequent visitors to my garden. They are often seen collecting nectar and pollen only from the flowers of the...
 
 Thunbergia Grandiflora which cascaded freely down.



A cascade of sky blue flowers formed an attractive drape over a fenestra in the concrete fencing thus providing a privacy screen.



A humming and buzzing bumblebee carpenter bees zoomed straight into a Thunbergia Grandiflora



 and stayed for quite a while. As blue flowers are not as common as reds and yellows, they complement the whole gamut of colours in the garden.


When they are done with gathering, they are frequently seen sunbathing on hibiscus flower buds. In the background, Bauhenia kockiana vines hung down, heavily laden with a profusion of yellow-orange blooms
Bauhenia kockiana start off as yellow blooms which gradually mellow into a deep orange colour.


 
Carpenter bees are adamant about perching on the same flower bud, even when there are many others to choose from. When I approached with my lens, they'll buzzed off but soon returned to the same bud in spite of my continued presence. 



This bud-hugging activity can go on for the rest of the day. Such behaviour is so persistent and repetitive that it presents a good study on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).


 This bumblebee continued to hug its dedicated flower bud possessively for the next few days, always the same bud and no others.

Wings are spread-eagled presumably to derive the full benefits from sun worshipping.


When it flew off momentarily, I playfully placed a flower near its bespoke bud. On discovering this unfamiliar object upon its return, it buzzed over the unsolicited flower, then chided me by buzzing furiously and closely over my head. I felt the strong air currents and feared that it would sting me.



The wings are delicate and look almost black while some shimmering rainbow colours are picked out by the sunshine.
 

Here, this carpenter bee is preparing for flight. Wings are flapped rapidly prior to take off, generating a loud buzz. This is indeed a good life.

“The busy bee has no time for sorrow.” - William Blake


Eventually all good things have to come to and end. Nothing was known about how this bee met its demise.  It was disposed off in an orgy of feasting for days on end by some marauding ants

NB: Originally this bee has been identified aas a bumblebee. It has been determined that this guy is actually a carpenter bee

29 comments:

  1. My goodness! That bee is simply enormous! I wonder what factors make a perch just right for a bee?

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  2. Hi Snail, thanks for stopping by. Yes, our bumblebees are rather huge and very often tore up the Thunbergia flowers when entering the tubular part of the flower.

    I am equally intrigued by how they choose a particular bud or object to cling on.

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  3. This is a nice record of your observations on bumblebees with breathtaking photos and your narratives.

    Yoko

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  4. Hi Yoko, thanks for the kind words. I've observed the peculiar perch-fixation of the bumblebees for some time before I decided to photo-document them.

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  5. Great photography, and really lovely flowers. We have big black insects here that look like bumble bees but are actually carpenter bees. I didn't know black bumbles even existed :)

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  6. Hi Masha, thanks for pointing this out to me. I did some research about carpenter bees and I'm still not sure. So far, I have not seen any sign of 'carpenter's activity' in my house even though we have lived there for about two decades.

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  7. Hi Aaron, the Thunbergia vine can grow like weeds and need to be frequently pruned. I try to reduce pruning by keeping only one vine. These jumbo bees only seem to be interested in gathering from its flowers.

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  8. I really enjoyed this post! You captured the bumblebee so well, and I love how you told his story, though the ending was sad! I am not familiar with thunbergenia. It is a beautiful flower!

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  9. Hi Helena of Deb's Garden,thanks. Yes, I agree with you that the Thunbergia is spectacular with its large cluster of flowers. It grows vigorously and is considered a weed in some countries.

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  10. I've never seen the bumblebee!!!
    What a pretty face it has!
    Your photos are beautiful.
    Thank you for your sweet comment:)

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    Replies
    1. As pointed out by Masha, its actually a carpenter bee. Thanks for dropping by and the nice comments.

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  11. Beautiful flowers and such excellent photos of the bumble, such patience on your part to wait for it.

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  12. Hi Bakingbarb, actually not that bad as the bumblebee kept coming back to the same flower bud. The only down side was that I got sweataed buckets while waiting under the hot sun.

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  13. Thanks for swinging by my porch. I have never seen a black bumblebee, especially one so agressive. Ours are pretty docile. I enjoyed your post.

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  14. Yes, I think yours are furry and cute - like they can be cuddled. Ours, can be quite frigthening at times when they whizzed closely by.

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  15. Beautiful capture and great info about the bee. I seem to see it everytime there are Thunberga Vine flowers. It looks like the Xylocopa latipes in this image:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/7212964@N08/4815206392/

    info blog:
    http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2011/02/20/carpenter-bee-from-borneo/

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  16. Hi Autumn Belle, Thanks to Masha, I did some research and have verify that it is indeed a carpenter bee and not a bumblebee. Imagine after all these years, I was in the dark about its ID.

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  17. Amazing, that bumblebee is out of this world, and your photos prove it! Watch out Mothra! That bee is definitely a decepticon.

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    Replies
    1. You must be someone young - I google to discover what Mothra is. And by the way it is Carpenther bee.

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  18. Your thunbergia grandiflora is stunning, I love the color. Nice photo of the bee, wow!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, thanks. Looks like there are lots of insect-lovers besides the flower-lovers as well.

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  19. Love you closeup photos, and your OCD bugs! I just took photos of my Bougavillea and will post that another day. Here along the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin USA - the only Bouganvillea that will grow is the one I have in a pot to bring in during our cold winters. The lake adds so much to the many photos I post. It is part of the life of Gardens at Waters East. Liked your blog postings.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for appreciating. I will remember to visit your blog for your Bougainvillea blooms and other posts too.

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  20. Great bee captures, especially the one of it inside the Thunbergia. -- Bom

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    Replies
    1. I love what is to be seen of the colourful and shimmering wings.

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  21. Wow !! stunningly gorgeous. I do so love insects ... almost as much as flowers ;-) xo Susan + gang

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    Replies
    1. Insects and flowers are great together. After all they are not mutually exclusive.

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  22. Wonderful photos!! Thanks for sharing :)

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