Carpenter bees
carpenter bee (male X. violacea) robbing nectar
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Hymenoptera Suborder: Apocrita Superfamily: Apoidea Family: Apidae Subfamily: Xylocopinae Tribe: Xylocopini Genus: Xylocopa Latreille, 1802
Species
see text

Carpenter bees (the genus Xylocopa in the subfamily Xylocopinae) are large, hairy bees distributed worldwide. Carpenter bees (the genus Xylocopa in the subfamily Xylocopinae) are large hairy bees distributed worldwide Arthropods are Animals belonging to the Phylum Arthropoda (from Greek ἄρθρον arthron, " Joint " Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Hymenoptera is one of the larger orders of Insects comprising the sawflies, Wasps Bees and Ants The name refers to The subfamily Xylocopinae occurs worldwide and includes the familiar Carpenter bees and their more obscure relatives there are many species but relatively few genera (only Pierre André Latreille ( November 20, 1762 - February 6, 1833) was a French entomologist. There are some 500 species of carpenter bee in 31 subgenera. ^[1] Their name comes from the fact that nearly all species build their nests in burrows in dead wood, bamboo, or structural timbers (except those in the subgenus Proxylocopa, which nest in the ground). Members of the related tribe Ceratinini are sometimes referred to as "Small Carpenter Bees". The cosmopolitan Bee genus Ceratina, often referred to as small carpenter bees, is the sole lineage of the tribe Ceratinini, and closely

Characteristics

In several species, the females live in tunnels alongside their own daughters or sisters, creating a sort of social group. They use wood bits to form partitions between the cells in the nest. A few species bore holes in wood dwellings. Since the tunnels are near the surface, structural damage is generally minor or nonexistent.

Carpenter bees can be important pollinators on open-faced flowers, even obligate pollinators on some, such as the Maypop (Passiflora incarnata), though many species are also known to "rob" nectar by slitting the sides of flowers with deep corollas. A pollinator is the biotic agent ( vector) that moves Pollen from the male Anthers of a Flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish Maypop ( Passiflora incarnata) also known as Purple passionflower, is a fast growing perennial vine with climbing or trailing stems Nectar robbing refers to an Insect (or other visitor such as a bird visiting a Flowering plant and removing Nectar without pollinating the Nectar is a Sugar -rich liquid produced by plants It is produced either by the Flowers in which it attracts pollinating animals or by extrafloral A petal (from Ancient Greek petalon "leaf" "thin plate" regarded as a highly modified leaf is one member or part of the corolla

X. tabaniformis male robbing nectar

In the United States, there are two eastern species, Xylocopa virginica, and Xylocopa micans, and three other species that are primarily western in distribution, one being Xylocopa varipuncta. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The common Eastern carpenter bee, Xylocopa virginica, is the Carpenter bee most often encountered in the eastern United States. The Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, is found in Southern California and north through the Central Valley. X. virginica is by far the more widely distributed species. ^[2] Some are often mistaken for a bumblebee species, as they can be similar in size and coloration, though most carpenter bees have a shiny abdomen, while in bumblebees the abdomen is completely clothed with dense hair. A bumblebee (or bumble bee) is any member of the Bee Genus Bombus, in the family Apidae; there are over 250 known species primarily Males of some species have a white or yellow face, where the females do not; males also often have much larger eyes than the females, which relates to their mating behavior. Male bees are often seen hovering near nests, and will approach nearby animals. However, males are harmless since they do not have a stinger^[3]. Female bees do have a stinger, but are not aggressive, and will not sting unless directly provoked.

Many Old World carpenter bees have a special pouch-like structure on the inside of their first metasomal tergite called the acarinarium where certain species of mites (Dinogamasus spp. The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans Asians and Africans in the 15th century The metasoma is the posterior part of the body or tagma, of Arthropods whose body is composed of three parts the other two being the Prosoma and the A tergum (plural terga, associated adjective tergal) is the dorsal portion of an Arthropod segment other than the head An acarinarium is a specialized anatomical structure which is adapted to facilitate the retention of Mites on the body of an organism typically a bee or a wasp Mites, along with Ticks belong to the subclass Acarina (also known as Acari and the class Arachnida Mites are among the most diverse and successful ) reside as commensals. In Ecology, commensalism is a kind of symbiotic relationship between two organisms where one benefits and the other is not significantly harmed or helped (like a bird The exact nature of the relationship is not fully understood, though in other bees that carry mites, the mites are beneficial, feeding either on fungi in the nest, or on other, harmful mites. A fungus (ˈfʌŋgəs is a eukaryotic Organism that is a member of the kingdom Fungi (ˈfʌndʒaɪ

Behavior

Castings due to hibernaculum cleaning and preparation

Female carpenter bee in her nest

Carpenter bees are traditionally considered solitary bees, though some species have simple social nests in which mothers and daughters may cohabit. However, even solitary species tend to be gregarious, and often several will nest near each other. It has been occasionally reported that when females cohabit, there may be a division of labor between them, where one female may spend most of her time as a guard within the nest, motionless and near the entrance, while another female spends most of her time foraging for provisions.

Carpenter Bee nest in a tree trunk

Carpenter bees make nests by tunneling into wood, vibrating their bodies as they rasp their mandibles against the wood, each nest having a single entrance which may have many adjacent tunnels. In arthropods the mandible is either of a pair of Arthropod Mouthparts used for biting cutting and holding food Carpenter bees do not eat wood. They discard the bits of wood, or re-use particles to build partitions between cells. The tunnel functions as a nursery for brood and the pollen/nectar upon which the brood subsists. The provision masses of some species are among the most complex in shape of any group of bees; whereas most bees fill their brood cells with a soupy mass, and others form simple spheroidal pollen masses, Xylocopa form elongate and carefully sculpted masses that have several projections which keep the bulk of the mass from coming into contact with the cell walls, sometimes resembling an irregular caltrop. Equation A spheroid centered at the origin and rotated about the z axis is defined by the implicit equation \left(\frac{x}{a}\right^2+\left(\frac{y}{a}\right^2+\left(\frac{z}{b}\right^2 A caltrop (also known as Caltrap, galtrop,or in Japanese: Makibishi or Tetsubishi. The eggs are very large relative to the size of the female, and are some of the largest eggs among all insects.

There are two very different mating systems that appear to be common in carpenter bees, and often this can be determined simply by examining specimens of the males of any given species. In Sociobiology and Behavioural ecology, a mating system is any of the ways in which animal societies are structured in relation to sexual behavior Species in which the males have large eyes are characterized by a mating system where the males either search for females by patrolling, or by hovering and waiting for passing females, whom they then pursue. In the other type of mating system, the males often have very small heads, but there is a large, hypertrophied glandular reservoir in the mesosoma, which releases pheromones into the airstream behind the male while it flies or hovers. A gland is an organ in an animal's body that synthesizes a substance for release such as Hormones or Breast milk, often into the Bloodstream The mesosoma is the middle part of the body or tagma, of Arthropods whose body is composed of three parts the other two being the Prosoma and the A pheromone (from Greek φέρω phero "to bear" + ‘ορμόνη " Hormone " is a Chemical that triggers a natural The pheromone advertises the presence of the male to females. ^[4]

Guarding the hibernaculum	Japanese carpenter bee	Carpenter bee (Xylocopa varipuncta), male, common in Southern California	European carpenter bee (Xylocopa violacea)
Carpenter bee (X. The Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, is found in Southern California and north through the Central Valley. Carpenter bees (the genus Xylocopa in the subfamily Xylocopinae) are large hairy bees distributed worldwide tabaniformis) on Salvia	European carpenter bee (X. violacea) on a Lantana camara flower	in Kona	Carpenter Bee is working the wood in Kona

References

1. ^ Minckley, R. Salvia is a Genus of plants in the mint family Lamiaceae. It is one of three genera commonly referred to as sage. Carpenter bees (the genus Xylocopa in the subfamily Xylocopinae) are large hairy bees distributed worldwide L. 1998. A cladistic analysis and classification of the subgenera and genera of the large carpenter bees, tribe Xylocopini (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Scientific Papers, Natural History Museum, University of Kansas 9:1–47
2. ^ We welcome visits to the museum
3. ^ University of Kentucky Entomology: Carpenter Bees
4. ^ Minckley, R. L. , Buchmann, S. L. , Wcislo, W. T. 1991. Bioassay evidence for a sex attractant pheromone in the large carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta (Anthophoridae: Hymenoptera). J. Zool. Soc. London 224: 285–291

External links

• United States Xylocopa Identification Guide
• List of Species
• Worldwide Species Map
• Close-up photos of a carpenter bee – taken near the town of Chavarillo, Veracruz, Mexico