Posts Tagged: male Valley carpenter bee

That Cuddly Teddy Bear Bee

Oh, that cuddly teddy bear. The male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, also known as "the teddy bear bee," comes around occasionally...

A male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, sipping nectar from a broadleaf milkweed, Asclepias speciosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, sipping nectar from a broadleaf milkweed, Asclepias speciosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male Valley carpenter bee, aka teddy bear bee, claims a blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male Valley carpenter bee, aka teddy bear bee, claims a blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sweet stuff! A male Valley carpenter bee curls to grab some nectar from a broadleaf milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sweet stuff! A male Valley carpenter bee curls to grab some nectar from a broadleaf milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A monarch butterfly flutters in, but the male Valley carpenter bee refuses to budge. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A monarch butterfly flutters in, but the male Valley carpenter bee refuses to budge. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Welcome, Teddy Bear Bee

If you've never seen the "teddy bear bee," keep an eye out for it. A fuzzy golden bee with green eyes, it's the male Valley carpenter bee (Xylocopa...

A male Valley carpenter bee (Xylocopa varipuncta)sips nectar from a foothill penstemon, (Penstemon heterophyllus) in the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male Valley carpenter bee (Xylocopa varipuncta)sips nectar from a foothill penstemon, (Penstemon heterophyllus) in the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The male Valley carpenter bee twists to look at the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The male Valley carpenter bee twists to look at the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The male valley carpenter bee, aka "teddy bee," straddles a penstemon. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The male valley carpenter bee, aka "teddy bee," straddles a penstemon. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey, You Ought to Attend This!

If you've ever wanted to taste exotic honeys (of course, you have!) and if you've ever wondered why native bees don't make honey (you have, haven't...

Why do honey bees (Apis mellifera) make honey and not most other bees? That question will be answered at the Honey and Pollination Center's "World of Honey" tasting event on April 5. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Why do honey bees (Apis mellifera) make honey and not most other bees? That question will be answered at the Honey and Pollination Center's "World of Honey" tasting event on April 5. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The male Valley carpenter bee (Xylocopa varipuncta) is the color of honey, but this species does not make honey. Although the male is blond, the female of this species is a solid black. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The male Valley carpenter bee (Xylocopa varipuncta) is the color of honey, but this species does not make honey. Although the male is blond, the female of this species is a solid black. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Boy Wonder!

I've been waiting for a decade to see a male Valley carpenter bee (Xylocopa varipuncta) foraging in our family bee garden. The girls? Oh, yes. We...

A male Valley carpenter bee engaging in nectar robber; he's drilling a hole in a foxglove to get the nectar, avoiding the pollination process. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male Valley carpenter bee engaging in nectar robber; he's drilling a hole in a foxglove to get the nectar, avoiding the pollination process. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Male valley carpenter bee foraging on dwarf bulbine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Male valley carpenter bee foraging on dwarf bulbine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Male Valley carpenter bee "cuddling" a blanket flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Male Valley carpenter bee "cuddling" a blanket flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Eyeing the photographer, a male Valley carpenter bee gets ready to leave a blanket flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Eyeing the photographer, a male Valley carpenter bee gets ready to leave a blanket flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male Valley carpenter bee lifts off a foxglove. He was early chased by a territorial male European wool carder bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male Valley carpenter bee lifts off a foxglove. He was early chased by a territorial male European wool carder bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Golden Boy

A "golden boy" drew a lot of attention at the Bohart Museum of Entomology last Saturday, April 12 during the campuswide UC Davis Picnic Day. "Golden...

Male Valley carpenter bee draws attention at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's open house on UC Davis Picnic Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Male Valley carpenter bee draws attention at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's open house on UC Davis Picnic Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A tentative touch. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A tentative touch. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Fingers nestle the male Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Fingers nestle the male Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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