I am very interested in all the sorts of bees that we have humming about our yard over the past three months. Documentaries like this one have me especially interested in the fate of our dear honeybees. To fight the anxiety drummed up knowing just how dependent we are on our yellow and black friends I study those that are flying about my yard and dream of the hives that we will get next year. And I am finding out so much more each day (thanks Julie for pointing out that this is actually a yellow jacket).
Carpenter bees, or at least the species that we have in our own backyard, are a great deal larger than honeybees. As you may have guessed (or already know), they make their homes in wooden structures or decaying trees by boring holes and creating tunnels. The bees, however, do not eat the wood, although they might use it to create divisions within their nest. They are primarily solitary nesters although in some species some females and their daughters nest together.
They are good pollinators of open-faced flowers, like our bee balm, pictured above.
2 comments:
Your picture is amazing. Every grain of pollen is clear!
I really should research my bees better too. They are such a beneficial addition to my backyard, yet I can't identify them. Thanks for the inspiration!
Blessings, Debbie
Lovely photo! I don't have any flowers at this new house, just lots of bushes, so I have not seen any bees around here. Before we moved we had a ton of wasps. None of those here either. And we only moved down the highway, but it is so interesting to see how different landscaping attracts different creatures. I can't wait to cultivate some flowers but not this hot summer.
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