- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Published on: May 26, 2009
You rarely see two male adult carpenter bees in the same photo.
They are very aggressive and territorial. While they're waiting for females to arrive, they chase all prospective suitors away.
Unlike the females, however, they can't sting.
I was watching a male carpenter bee ((Xylocopa tabaniformis) nectaring sage when I heard a loud buzz. From out of nowhere, a ferocious-sounding male carpenter was heading straight toward the unsuspecting male like a bat out of the proverbial you-know-what.
In a flash, they were gone. Battle over.
Until the next time.
![WHILE one male carpenter bee (Xylocopa tabaniformis) nectars on sage, another male attempts to scare him away. Male carpenter bees are very territorial. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) WHILE one male carpenter bee (Xylocopa tabaniformis) nectars on sage, another male attempts to scare him away. Male carpenter bees are very territorial. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/bugsquad/blogfiles/1795.jpg)
Battle of the Sexes
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