
ENT532 Fall 2024: Image of eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica)
This photo of an eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica) on ironweed (Vernonia sp.) was taken at Powdermill Nature Reserve in Rector, PA. I observed a patch of flowers in a meadow for approximately one hour (2024-09-01T10:57:00/2024-00-01T12:00:00). I noticed that while carpenter bees frequently visited the ironweed, the many bumble bees (Bombus sp.) present in the meadow did not. I suspect this is because the species have different nutritional needs; I have read that different bees species have different preferences for protein to lipid ratios in pollen. In comparing the species, I also noticed that the carpenter bees had smooth, shiny abdomens, while the bumble bees' abdomens were covered in hair. I wonder whether this makes the carpenter bees less efficient at collecting pollen. Carpenter bees, do, however, have many hairs on the hind legs. I also observed that when the carpenter bees flew from one plant to another, they would not fly in a straight path, but would fly several feet away from the plants and then back. I suspect they do this to get a better view of the plants and understand their setting better. When moving between different flowers of the same plant, the carpenter bees do not show this behavior.
This image was deposited for ENT 532: Insect Biodiversity and Evolution in Fall 2024.
Files
Metadata
Work Title | ENT532 Fall 2024: Image of eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica) |
---|---|
Access | |
Creators |
|
Keyword |
|
License | CC0 1.0 (Public Domain Dedication) |
Work Type | Image |
Publication Date | September 3, 2024 |
Subject |
|
DOI | doi:10.26207/hw6y-9d77 |
Geographic Area |
|
Deposited | September 03, 2024 |
Versions
Analytics
Collections
This resource is currently not in any collection.