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ernie85017

very large bee

ANOTHER NUTTY QUESTION FOR YOU. Up in the chinese elm, which is greening up nicely, there is a buzzing. A very large bee. Not those iridescent blue/green things. These guys are brown to gold. Buzzing around and around a certain area. Not landing to eat, or rest. Protecting a nest? I can't see a nest but that doesn't mean that there is not one there. When the sun starts going down I realized that he was quiet, or gone.

Any ideas about what he is and what he is up to?

He's not africanized bee, they travel in packs and you always know when one is going past.

Any help will be appreciate

Roz

Comments (11)

  • tomatofreak
    11 years ago

    Ernie, I posted this reply to your original question when it got stuck in the Bermuda thread:

    Ernie, I don't know how your post got stuck onto one about Bermuda, so you might want to try posting again. I do want to assure you that this bee is harmless and is likely looking for a hole in the tree. They are lovely and you're lucky to see a golden one.

    Here is a link that might be useful: golden carpenter bee

  • aztreelvr
    11 years ago

    The golden colored bees are the males. They seem agressive but can't sting. The female is solid black is very docile but will sting if provoked.

  • grant_in_arizona
    11 years ago

    Fun question and GREAT replies, thanks for the information all, and the fun video tomato. I have total bee envy, LOL. Take care and happy gardening everyone!

  • tomatofreak
    11 years ago

    I love these bees; they are funny to watch as they try to find a hole they can get into. I once watched one try to enter a copper chime on a windbell. Ray in Tucson once described how to drill holes in scrap wood for the bees. The bees themselves drill - well, chew - perfectly round 1/2" holes.

  • ernie85017, zn 9, phx
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    There he is! How polite of the regular sized bee to land for a size comparison.
    I have seen the circular cuts in leaves, but didn't know these big bees were doing it.
    I thought my original post had not gone through, so posted again.
    Thanks!!

  • tracydr
    11 years ago

    I was wondering what those were! I have quite a few of them in my yard!
    I've got to plant some of those passifloras. Do they do ok in mostly shade or do they need full sun?

  • tomatofreak
    11 years ago

    I hope someone answers your question. I've planted passies in full sun and part shade. Ask me how many I have now. :(

  • tracydr
    11 years ago

    So, I take it passifloras are invasive, sort of like cats claws?

  • tomatofreak
    11 years ago

    Nope, that was my way of saying they all committed suicide regardless of where they were planted.

  • aztreelvr
    11 years ago

    Just to clarify.....the big clumsy bees are carpenter bees, a solitary species that are great pollinators and love soft wood where they can craft their galleries. They create the 1/2 inch holes tomatofreak mentioned above.

    The circular holes in leaves are caused by the Leafcutter Bee, a much smaller bee (also solitary) about the size of a honey bee, that uses the leaves and rolls them up cigar-style to line its brood chambers. They love small 1/4 inch holes like the drain holes in pots, old nail holes or spaces like those above window screens, etc.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Leafcutter bees

  • tomatofreak
    11 years ago

    While we're talking bees, here's a bit of news we should be aware of and perhaps even doing something about. We would starve without bees, yet they - and possibly we - are being poisoned by pesticides.

    Here is a link that might be useful: save the bees

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