Category: Uncategorized (Page 1 of 25)

Quick Housekeeping Note

To my followers:

Sorry for the inconvenience, but if you have been subscribing to Growing with Science via Feedburner, they are no longer going to send email updates after July (announcement).

I have added another email subscription service in the sidebar of the blog. I hope you decide to continue following and take advantage of it.

Thank you for your support and interest over the years. If you ever have comments or questions or suggestions to improve the blog, please feel free to contact me.

Bug of the Week: Big Blond Bee

Look who I found upside down in a water bowl this week:

(About as big as your thumb to the first knuckle.)

I tipped him out and waited to see what happened.

He quivered for a moment, then flew off.

Any ideas what kind of bee it is?

Here’s a hint:

These two bees are actually the same species. The big blond one is the male carpenter bee, Xylocopa sonorina. The black one is the female. It isn’t uncommon to see the females flying about and visiting flowers.

The males are less common. They spend their time marking plants with pheromones (scents) to attract the females.

And, if you were wondering, male carpenter bees don’t sting so I could get close to take the photograph.

Do carpenter bees live where you are?

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