Carpenter bee, Abejorro carpintero

Description:

Carpenter bees are large bees distributed worldwide. Nearly all species build their nests in burrows in dead wood or structural timbers (except Proxylocopa, which nest in the ground). The name is derived from the Ancient Greek xylokopos/ξῦλοκὀπος "wood-cutter". Carpenter bees are traditionally considered solitary bees. However they tend to be gregarious, and often several will nest near each other. It has been occasionally reported that when females cohabit, there may be a division of labor between them. Carpenter bees make nests by tunneling into wood, vibrating their bodies as they rasp their mandibles against the wood. The entrance is often a perfectly circular hole. Carpenter bees do not eat wood. The tunnel functions as a nursery for brood and storage for the pollen/nectar upon which the brood subsists. Xylocopa form elongate and carefully sculpted provision masses that have several projections which keep the bulk of the mass from coming into contact with the cell walls, sometimes resembling an irregular caltrop. The eggs are very large relative to the size of the female, and are some of the largest eggs among all insects.

Habitat:

Spotted on common juniper shrub, at 1600 meters high, Parque Nacional Sierra de Guadarrama

Notes:

Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/250 sec.; f/9; ISO Speed Rating: 200. Exposure Bias: 0 EV. Focal Length: 300.0 mm.