Posts Tagged: male Valley carpenter bee

Two Bees: A Close Encounter with a Cousin

So here I am, a male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, just enjoying the nectar on this tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii, in Vacaville, Calif. Some folks call me "The teddy bear bee." Yes, I like that nickname. The late Robbin Thorp...

A honey bee, Apis mellifera, buzzes over the head of a male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, on a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee, Apis mellifera, buzzes over the head of a male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, on a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The honey bee's feet touches the antennae of the male Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The honey bee's feet touches the antennae of the male Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The honey bee's abdomen touches the head of the male Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The honey bee's abdomen touches the head of the male Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Up, up and away. Off to the next blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Up, up and away. Off to the next blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Watch out, Mr. Carpenter Bee, I'm coming back down. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Watch out, Mr. Carpenter Bee, I'm coming back down. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

You're crowding me, Ms. Honey Bee! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

You're crowding me, Ms. Honey Bee! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

I'm outta here, says the carpenter bee to the honey bee. Take it all, it's yours. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

I'm outta here, says the carpenter bee to the honey bee. Take it all, it's yours. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Boys Are Back in Town!

The boys are back in town. After the long winter and rainy spring, the boys are back in town. That would be the male Valley carpenter bees, Xylocopa varipuncta, or what Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis, calls...

A male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, nectaring on a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, nectaring on a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The male Valley carpenter bee is often mistaken for a bumble bee, or what some have called a "golden bumble bee." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The male Valley carpenter bee is often mistaken for a bumble bee, or what some have called a "golden bumble bee." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The male Valley carpenter bee didn't perceive the photographer as a threat. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The male Valley carpenter bee didn't perceive the photographer as a threat. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The male Valley carpenter bee protrudes his proboscis (tongue) to sip nectar from a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The male Valley carpenter bee protrudes his proboscis (tongue) to sip nectar from a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

And off he goes, a male Valley carpenter bee in flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

And off he goes, a male Valley carpenter bee in flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Under Attack: European Wool Carder Bee Vs. Male Valley Carpenter Bee

Meet the competitors. In this corner, meet Mr. Teddy Bear. He's a blond, green-eyed carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, a native, and one of three species of carpenter bees commonly found from northern to southern California to western New...

Meet Mr. Teddy Bear, a green-eyed blond trying to nourish himself on foxglove nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Meet Mr. Teddy Bear, a green-eyed blond trying to nourish himself on foxglove nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Meet Mr. Bodyslam, a very territorial European wool carder bee. He patrols the foxgloves. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Meet Mr. Bodyslam, a very territorial European wool carder bee. He patrols the foxgloves. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Mr. Bodyslam targets the unsuspecting Mr. Teddy Bear. "Hey, get away from my flowers and nobody gets hurt." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Mr. Bodyslam targets the unsuspecting Mr. Teddy Bear. "Hey, get away from my flowers and nobody gets hurt." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Mr. Bodyslam is moving so fast, he's a blur. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Mr. Bodyslam is moving so fast, he's a blur. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

And the battle begins! Mr. Bodyslam attacks Mr. Teddy Bear. "Hey, can't a fellow get a bite to eat in peace?" (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

And the battle begins! Mr. Bodyslam attacks Mr. Teddy Bear. "Hey, can't a fellow get a bite to eat in peace?" (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Gotcha! The attack turns vicious. Mr. Bodyslam slams into Mr. Teddy Bear, a blow that prompted Mr. Teddy Bear to depart (only to return). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Gotcha! The attack turns vicious. Mr. Bodyslam slams into Mr. Teddy Bear, a blow that prompted Mr. Teddy Bear to depart (only to return). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Boys Are Back in Town

The boys are back in town! Well, at least one is. We don't know where the girls are. Neither, apparently, does he. A male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, aka "the teddy bear bee," buzzed into our mustard patch Sunday and nectared on the...

A male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, nectars on a a mustard blossom in Vacaville, Calif. on Sunday, March 25. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, nectars on a a mustard blossom in Vacaville, Calif. on Sunday, March 25. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Peek-a-bee! The male Valley carpenter bee peers at the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Peek-a-bee! The male Valley carpenter bee peers at the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

We have lift-off! The teddy bear bee, Xylocopa varipuncta,leaves a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

We have lift-off! The teddy bear bee, Xylocopa varipuncta,leaves a mustard blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bigger, Better, Buglier: Impressive Science

Oh, the bugs! Bigger. Better. Buglier. It was Saturday, April 18,  the 103rd annual UC Davis Picnic Day, a campuswide open house, and several thousand folks filed into the Bohart Museum of Entomology to see the displays. The theme: "Bigger, Better,...

Robbin Thorp, UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor of entomology, chats with Adne Burruss, 6, of Irvine. (Photos by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Robbin Thorp, UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor of entomology, chats with Adne Burruss, 6, of Irvine. (Photos by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A close-up of a male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, held by Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis.

A close-up of a male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, held by Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis.

Future entomologist? Julianna Amaya, 10, of Martinez is fascinated by an Australian walking stick.

Future entomologist? Julianna Amaya, 10, of Martinez is fascinated by an Australian walking stick.

Entomologist and Bohart Museum associate Jeff Smith talks butterflies to Ted Swift and his daughter Grace Swift, 10, of Davis.

Entomologist and Bohart Museum associate Jeff Smith talks butterflies to Ted Swift and his daughter Grace Swift, 10, of Davis.

Fran Keller, assistant professor at Folsom Lake College, staffs the Bohart Museum gift shop.

Fran Keller, assistant professor at Folsom Lake College, staffs the Bohart Museum gift shop.

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