“On the morning of 20th July 2014, I had the opportunity to observe a male carpenter bee (Xylocopa latipes) perched at the apex of a bare branch and basking in the sun against a clear blue sky (above). At regular intervals, this bee would launch itself into the air then return to the same perch after a brief turnaround flight.
“A video clip of the bee taking off and landing may be previewed here:
“While perched at such a prominent and commanding location, this bee would have an ideal vantage point to keep an eye out for rival males and/or receptive females, as it scans its surroundings with keen vigilance (below).
“As the temperature climbed, so did its metabolic rate. This may be noticed in the heightened pulsations of its abdomen.
A video clip of the abdominal pulsations may be previewed here:”
Dr Leong Tzi Ming
Singapoe
4th September 2014
One Response
I read that in certain species of carpenter bees, only the females can sting. Is this true of the carpenter bee species found in Singapore? Also, I would be grateful if anyone can point me to a photo of their stinger (been searching the Net to no avail), if they have one.