A timid giant - Carpenter bee
I wanted to take advantage of all the overgrown weeds that are blooming at a local park and shoot some of the gigantic thistles. I have been passing by a few times lately, but lack of time or bad weather made me postpone the photo trip.
The time has come, and I was really hoping they were still there. I am not sure if the city hall is letting them grow so wild on purpose because of the No Mow May thingie or if they are just waiting in line to be cut. Either way - the weeds are doing fine, and some were taller than me. I got to the purple mess and saw this beast flying around!
Yay!
Carpenter bee
It was a super nice bonus. Only one bee, but that's ok. I don't think I ever saw a few of them in the same place. They are such a beautiful, big creature, but also so very timid. I could not get too close, as she should just fly away.
Another amazing thing is flying itself. They are fast and have a low buzzing sound. A bit like some drones :)
Black, shiny body with a gorgeous navy blue sheen on their wings. Their wings seem quite unproportional to the body, but that doesn't stop them from being speedy if they have to.
Carpenter bees are solitary, which means they do not build nests together with other bees. Instead, they will carve a tunnel in a wood (thus their name, I guess) and lay their eggs there. And it probably works well, until a hungry woodpecker finds it and eats the larve.
This image should give you an idea of their size:
image source
They take up a up a large part of the flowers. To compare, this is a regular bumblebee on the same type of flower.
And lastly the wild overgrown messa I was after that day:
Shot with Nikon D5500 + Sigma 105mm lens
All photos and text are my own.
A very beautiful picture that feels extraordinarily beautiful
Thank you!
That's one rare looking Bee😳
Yea, I am always glad when I see one :)
You're pretty lucky 👌🥰💯👌😂
The photos are beautiful and very clear. It's as good as a documentary. Congratulations, you have taken beautiful photographs of the life cycle.
Thanks a lot :)
Greetings @ewkaw
What a lovely looking bee showcased on this beautiful flower....just splendid photographs....enjoyed!
Cheers!
Thank you :)
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Thanks :)
Wow so beautiful photography
Thank you!
🤣
This may not be her most flattering angle for a portrait, but it is the fluffiest.
Hahaha cant resist the furry booties :D
😂
Wow!!! It is really giant indeed!
Yeaa it is :)
Beautiful but I wouldn't go near them xd. The female ones can hurt you xd. I got stung once. It felt like my skin was on fire.
Outch! I try not to annoy them and if they dont see me as treat they should not sting.
you took the picture very well, i saw clearly the carpenter bee up close and it was very beautiful.😍
Thanks a lot :)
It will definitely always be a mystery how insects so disproportionate in terms of their body can fly and as you mention how quickly it is necessarily, it is quite a feat, very nice photos😍
Thank you :)
Capturing a bumblebee with this clarity on camera is a very difficult task. Because it keeps flying from one place to another. Rarely does it sit quietly somewhere. There is also a fear that if you go around it, it will bite you. Really beautiful photographs. @ewkaw
They usually dont sting if they are not threatened. They are busy with their task.
Thanks :)
They are so lovely, I love the iridescent wings. I found one, unfortunately dead in the garden and put it in a box to paint the wings in watercolor and use it as model, after two years it remains as if untouched by time.
Wow.. amazing it lasted this long and didn't fall apart.
It almost looks like a prop but I did not do any special preparation, just put it inside a little box to draw it. It's beautiful. I've thought about putting resine on top to permanently protect it but I fear I would spoil it.
It would be nice to have second one and try with the resin. It could look nice like that.
It is incredible to see a carpenter bee on the flower, here in my city we usually see it in the holes of the wood, only a few times I saw it perched on the flowers
I love your photographs dear friend @ewkaw
And I never saw it in a hole :D
Thank you!
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you photographed it very beautifully. This looks very interesting, I really liked your post
Thank you :)
I am always happy when I see those around my garden. Damn, must take my camera out now when blooms are opened and bzzzzzzzzing is crazy. Thanks for sharing this one.
Hurry up.. winter is coming :D