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Looks like a bumble bee in shape and size, but maybe with a slightly longer body. Not small like honey bees. It, or should I say they, as there is a pair of them, has a beautiful dusty antique gold/brown fur all over the body and HUGE jet black eyes that follow you, watch you move. The bee actually moves in the air, turning, to keep you in focus if you move.
I have only seen them around my cane porch roof. I have never seen them dip on flowers.
This dusky gold bumble bee type bee has laid and raised young in the bamboo of my porch. The bee is big and has huge solid black eyes which watch you if you move. There is a pair of them, and they are both the same size and colour - no difference in the markings at all, and they hover protectively around the area where their offspring is. They make quite a loud buzz. If you take the camera and point it at them, or stand and stare at them or in any way go near the bamboo they watch you and move with you. It is quite disconcerting as you really do feel watched. They look at you as they buzz you. And they will even buzz you like birds who are defending nests. I can find no reference to these bees - or whatever they are, on the internet, so if anyone can tell me what they are I would be most interested. I was not able to get any better pictures of this one as it did not like the camera being pointed at it and move higher, as if to stay out of range, when it heard the noise of the lense changing focus.
Spotted on Dec 1, 2010
Submitted on Jun 1, 2011
2 Comments
Hi Joseph. They were [they went away with the cold weather] not really aggressive as such. They were more doing mock charges like an elephant. These were definitely territorial, hovering around the same area all the time, yet did not seem to bother about a large black and yellow stripy bumble bee raising its grubs further along in the same porch.
We've got some big bees across the channel in Madagascar, but they don't seem as aggressive as yours. They do have really big eyes though. We have two type around here about the same size. They do seem to be territorial, though. Ours were going crazy over a Cassia shrub most recently.