The Double-banded Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa caffra) has been a regular visitor to the flowering aloes throughout the month.
As one of the largest bee species found in South Africa, the carpenter bee is often mistakenly called a “bumblebee”. Bumblebees do not occur in South Africa, but rather in the northern hemisphere.
Distinctive by two broad and striking bands of colour on the black body, these bees are named for their affinity of tunnelling into wood for shelter and to create nests in which to lay eggs.
Did you know?
- Female carpenter bees have a symbiotic relationship with mites! They have a special pouch on their abdomen, called an acarinarium, in which the mites can live and hibernate. The mites are believed to assist with the control of fungi in the tunnelled nests, allowing the pollen supply deposited for larvae to be protected!
Fun Fact:
- Carpenter bees perform a vital role in “buzz pollination” - a phenomenon during which pollen can be “extracted” from flowers by creating vibrations at set frequencies, loosening tightly held pollen from the stamen. This is known to occur in windy areas, where certain species of plants rely on carpenter bees to extract the pollen by buzzing - thus preventing it from being blown away by the wind!
Words by Tess Woollgar. Images courtesy of Tess Woollgar.