The Wisteria in this part of France is in flower now and I suspect that wherever there is Wisteria there will be Carpenter bees. The first thought that passes through the mind of a person seeing a Carpenter for the first time is – “Does it sting?”
It is large – and measuring 25 to 30 mm long and with a possible wingspan of 45 to 50 mm – so it is a reasonable question to spring to mind. However, despite its impressive size and loud drone when in flight, it is not an aggressive bee. Now, I do not recommend trying to pick it up and give it a squeeze because it does have a sting.
Anyone wanting to “test” their aggressiveness has only to try and creep up on one to attempt a photograph. They are much more difficult to capture with a camera than honey bees. However, if you happen to be walking past some Wisteria in the spring you could inadvertently have a “near miss” with a male relentlessly patrolling for a receptive female. The bee will be just as astonished as you are before he manages to steer his bulk around you.
One of the reasons I enjoy the Carpenters in the garden is that they are with us throughout the good weather. The Carpenter above is on the Heptacodium at the end of September and will have been on all the early blossoms. Not a fussy feeder and certainly a useful pollinator.
But not all pollinators pollinate all the time. This sneaky bumble bee is enjoying the Wisteria’s nectar without touching the stamens and pollen. In fact, if you look closely you can see a couple of black dots to the right of the bee’s proboscis which means that this this particular flower has been visited by other bees earlier. In fact, the Wisteria flowers become quite ragged from the repeated piercings but this lets the smaller bees with short tongues, like honey bees, take advantage of the easy access route to the nectar.
I love watching the Carpenters in the garden but I do worry that they could be misunderstood so hopefully anyone who reads this blog and is new to Carpenters will come to love them too.
a french garden 
I do love them! They will not damage wood in good condition, and supposedly will use a bamboo tube for a nest. I believe only the females gather pollen, for their eggs, and the males just eat nectar. Their beautiful violet wings in the sun are just fantastic.
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So glad to find a fellow fan of Carpenters. I think they find plenty of rotting wood in France to be bothered attacking solid stuff for nesting. I have never seen any using my bamboo tubes but the ones I use are probably too small for them. It might be interesting to put out some with a larger diameter. Amelia
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I harvested some bigger tubes yesterday and plan to put them near the wisteria where there are plenty of the carps. I’ll let you know if I have any takers.
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I’d like that, it would be very interesting.
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I just want to give them a stroke! Thanks for the beautiful images Amelia.
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That made me smile! Glad you like them. Amelia
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I am not familiar with this bee, but will look out for it from now on when we holiday in France. I will try not to be alarmed!
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They are around throughout the summer so you could see them. Amelia
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These are wonderful closeups of the bees and I particularly like the ones of the bees in the wisteria- such a pretty colour. I didn’t know about bees piercing flowers! Also, the bamboo tubes for nesting are new to me.
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The Wisteria is a magnet for all sorts of bees and butterflies. It is really worthwhile building a bee hotel with bamboo tubes and drilled solid wood. You will get Osmia and other sorts of bees. This is one of my posts about the bees that visit the garden https://beesinafrenchgarden.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/some-megachiles/ and another https://afrenchgarden.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/mason-bee-hotels-or-houses/. There is lots of information if you search the internet. Amelia
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I’m ashamed to say that I really don’t know what kind of bees we have occurring naturally in Australia. I used to have a beehive in my garden, but my husband is allergic enough to bee stings, so I had to give it away. The bees were Italian bees! Thank you for your links, Amelia.
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Australia is home to some really fascinating bees! There are the social stingless “sugarbag” bees which have been managed for crop pollination (especially in macadamia). They make really interesting spiral hives. Plus you have blue banded bees, teddy bear bees, and many others. In fact, Australia is thought to be where the cellophane bees (family Colletidae) originally evolved.
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Obviously I need to spend some time researching bees! I’m adding that to my long list of things to learn.!
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Nature is endlessly fascinating haha
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Mark Berkery is a Brisbane based photographer, and occassionally he puts up gorgeous Aussie bee posts, like this one: https://beingmark.com/2018/03/09/blue-banded-bee/
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It’s beautiful! Thank you for sharing.
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I rarely see them and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a photo of one.
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More confirmation that they are shy. I think that your Carpenters will be similar but different species to ours over here. Amelia
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Beautifull photos ! I have seen some of these bees on a caper bush in South of France. I could not take any pictures because they were so swift !
We don’t have xylocope in Brittany. Not warm enough, I suppose.
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There have been sightings of them in the U.K. and they are extending northwards. You are correct that they prefer the warmer climates but you may find them in your garden in Brittany if we have a warm summer. Amelia
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Interesting news,
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Carpenters are with us almost all year. They will have missed the bounty of my Wisteria this year but will find other sources of nectar I’m sure.
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You must miss your usual bounty of Wisteria. Ours were still completely dormant when we had that cold spell that knocked off my broad beans. Amelia
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Strangely the broad beans and peas weren’t effected.
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The males can’t sting! I worked with a pollinator biologist who loved to catch a bunch of male carpenter bees and release them in classrooms. They were technically harmless, but the kids always lost their minds haha
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It could be fun or turn into an insect version of Hitcock’s “The Birds” :). You would end up adoring bees for live or needing therapy. Amelia
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Haha I totally agree
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The carpenter looks very relaxed and very attractive as well.
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They look beautiful when the sun touches their wings and changes the colour from translucent brown to a sparkling, rich blue. Amelia
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Fantastic photos Amelia – really detailed with beautiful flower backgrounds too. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a Carpenter bee – not sure if we’d get them here …maybe too cold and wet!
best wishes
Julian
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I would love to grow wisteria, so this is a good thing to know. Carpenter bees used to scare me but I like to think I’m more tolerant of bugs now that I’m getting more and more into gardening.
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I think that is a good thing about gardening. You get back to basics. I used to be scared of anything bug-like and now I love bees and respect all insect life. I try growing some of my own fruit and vegetables and I understand how difficult this is and how much a prey to weather conditions. Amelia
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How amusing to see an evening primrose there. They are so Californian. Even though wisteria is chinese, I still think of them as being so French or Parisian, just like Japenese flowering cherries and hydrangeas. So many of my lesser favorite flowers and colors just seem to fit France better. I suppose it is like how Southern California can get away with palms easier than we can. It just fits the style.
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I think you are absolutely right! People plant palms and banana trees here and to me they look so out of place (and none too healthy, either.) However, I have just visited Malaga in Spain and so much enjoyed visiting their Botanical Gardens and reveling in the exotic Mediterranean plants they have there. I prefer having the trees and plants appropriate for the climate. Amelia
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I love all pollinators! I wish I had wisteria in my own garden. Alas, I do not have much of my own garden, but my local Arboretum has a pergola with some on it that should bloom in a few weeks!
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When we lived in Aberdeen we were living in an appartement but close to some beautiful castle castle gardens. We visited them frequently and they felt as if they were ours! Amelia
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Last summer I spent a few days in Valence in the south east of France and one of my abiding memories was of the carpenter bees flitting about some very showy pink flowered trees in the town gardens. They’re impressively large but I was unable to get a photo.
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I wonder if the trees were Lagerstroemia indica. They frequently line streets with them here. I found them too showy. I think they look better on their own. Lines of them can be a bit overpowering. However, mature trees have a beautiful bark and they could be a feature in a winter garden. Amelia
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I had a look at pictures and I think you are right, their colours were very striking in the strong sunshine.
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They are beautiful but scary at the same time. Amelia
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Sorry, I have bees in the head! The next time you see Lagerstroemia you will be able to see if it is them or not.
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Dont worry, I also have bees in the head.
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Oh my goodness, you’re living the life I want! I’m a francophile and lived in Paris for a short time. I’d love to have a garden in France. With lots of bees. What a dream! Cheers.
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What a great joy it was to admire Your wonderful photo! Thank You sharing them.
Happy Sunday!
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Pingback: The little bees – Bees in a French Garden
I am new to France. I was in my garden, trying to photograph a lovely crab spider in a wisteria raceme, and holding the raceme in my hand to keep it still in the wind. Rather suddenly, I discovered that a huge black bee was investigating the wisteria flowers I was photographing.
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(This posted before I was finished.) I was delighted, but the bee was not as motionless as the crab spider and I only got one photograph of the carpenter bee that was at all in focus before it left. I didn’t know of this enormous bee, and was pleased to find this thread. Thank you.
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I am so glad the post was useful :). Amelia
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It sounds very much like Xylocopa violacea, or “abeille charpentière”, in France. They love the Wisteria. I hope it did not give you a fright as they are harmless. Amelia
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