carpenter bee

Description:

Carpenter bee (not yet identified to species). "Carpenter bees (the genus Xylocopa in the subfamily Xylocopinae) are large bees distributed worldwide. There are some 500 species of carpenter bee in 31 subgenera. Their name comes from the fact that nearly all species build their nests in burrows in dead wood, bamboo, or structural timbers. Carpenter bees can be important pollinators on open-faced flowers, even obligate pollinators on some." ... "Some members in this family, like the Carpenter Bees, are known as buzz pollinators. They use special technique to get the pollen from flowers known as buzz pollination. They hold the flowers and vibrate with loud buzz sound. The vibration excited the flower which drop the pollen onto the bees body. The other insects do not have this technique cannot get the pollen."

Habitat:

Spotted on a Brazilian button flower (Centratherum punctatum) in a large semi-urban yard & garden situated next to a disturbed patch of remnant forest.