Face Off, Carpenter Bee

May brings the Carpenter Bees out in droves. I have found capturing a good shot of a male hovering over his territory to be quite an interesting challenge. Although they seem to hover nearly stationary it still has not been an easy chore, at least for me.

First they are not nearly as stationary as they appear when I try to find one through my viewfinder. Normally by the time I have acquired focus the bee is zooming off to intercept an intruder or has moved a few inches and now out of focus. Shutter speed presents another problem as does depth of field. Of course to increase DOF one must move to a tighter aperture which decreases shutter speed. When all else comes together I find that I am usually looking at the south end of a north bound bee, not exactly the angle I was looking for.

As for safety while shooting these bees, notice white patch on the bee’s face; this mark identifies it as a male which has no stinger, only the black faced female carry the artillery.

Canon 30D, 100-400mm lens @ 400mm, F6.3 @ 1/250th sec, ISO 800

Buzzing Around

A Male Carpenter Bee busily defends his Territory

Male Carpenter Bees are notorious for staking out a territory and chasing off all intruders. Any insect that enters will be rapidly pursued. Once the intruder has left the area the Carpenter Bee will return to hover, sometimes stopping in mid air watching for the next invader.

This Carpenter Bee was quite the busy boy when I photographed him. The wind was blowing briskly and flower petals from my cardinal bush were blowing through his territory. This little guy would mistake them for another insect, chasing them to the ground.

I was trying to get a head-on shot but with a thunder storm approaching, I had to cut my photo session short and be satisfied with what I had. This image was captured with the Canon 100mm-400mm L lens

Shadows

While capturing autumn foliage shots I chanced upon this shadow

Yellow Jackets are far from the top of my most favorite creatures list. I have been known to spray entire nest of them when they decide to build somewhere not to my liking.

On this day, with the Yellow Jacket posing no threat, I was pleased to catch her shadow before she hurried along her way.

Bee for Breakfast

A hungry little bee flew in to feed while I was photographing this pretty yellow meadow flower. The bee changed this photo from just another pretty flower shot into something special.

As so often happens in life the unexpected becomes the most memorable

Carpenter Bees, Beautiful & Destructive

A Male Carpenter Bee feeding on a Dandelion

Carpenter bees are considered a pest. In regions they inhabit exposed lumber, particularly softwood are at risk of damage. For nesting sites the females will drill perfectly round 7/16” holes in the underside of any board or timber. They are particularly damaging to decks, both treated and untreated. Carpenter bees can be discouraged with a coat of paint or stain but even that is not guaranteed to stop them completely. The nesting hole will make a 90 deg. Turn once inside and continue on for perhaps over a foot. Into this cavity they will deposit pollen and eggs. The carpenter bees will also winter over here.


However destructive they are, they are a beautiful little creature. At this time of year the males are commonly found hovering near buildings, staking out the breeding rights to a particular piece of territory. They will vigorously attack any insect daring to invade. When a female comes near the airborne mating ritual will ensue



I’m sure that by now you are wondering how I can identify the sex of these bees. Well it is quite simple. The males, also known as drones have a small yellowish patch on their face just below their compound eyes. The “white” face can be seen in this photograph just above the bee’s black mouth parts. The females face is completely black. The male does not have a stinger and may be caught and handled with no risk. Do not try this with the female! Although normally very docile they can inflict a painful sting.