California carpenter bee

Last updated

Contents

California carpenter bee
Xylocopa californica.jpg
Female
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Xylocopa
Species:
X. californica
Binomial name
Xylocopa californica
Cresson, 1864

The California carpenter bee or Western carpenter bee, Xylocopa californica, is a species of carpenter bee in the order Hymenoptera, and it is native to western North America. [1]

Distribution

There are approximately 400 species worldwide of the genus Xylocopa. [2] X. californica is typically found in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Northwestern Mexico, with outlying records in Montana, Kansas, and Louisiana. [3] It is especially abundant, along with X. sonorina , in the Central Valley and in Southern California, including the Mojave Desert. They are agriculturally beneficial insects and pollinators of diverse California chaparral and woodlands and desert native plant species. [4] [5] This carpenter bee is active during hot seasons. Therefore, they are considered an endothermic insect as it absorbs heat in the desert conditions. As the bee absorbs too much heat in its body, it has to limit the time it flies and fly in the time of day in which it is cooler. [6]

Description

Their head is larger and thicker than their thorax; however, the size of the head differs between females and males. Female carpenter bees have bigger heads than males with more narrow heads. [7] The California carpenter bee is all black, with bluish/greenish reflections. The males typically have at least a few light hairs on the pronotum (dorsal prothorax) and the abdominal segments. [8] California carpenter bees have hair on their heads; most of their hair lays in the lower part of their head and cheeks compared to the sparse hairs on the top of the head. The female carpenter bees' hair is black, while the male carpenter bees' hair is yellow and yellowish colors. [7] They have dark wings without stigma and are 13–30 mm long overall. [2]

Foraging behavior

Xylocopa californica has been observed to rob nectar from ocotillo, Fouquieria splendens , and are determined to be their primary pollinator in the Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA. [9] They rob the nectar from flowers by chewing a hole on the side of the flower and taking the nectar without participating in pollination. [2] They like both nectar and pollen, except the pollen sources seem more specific; they prefer the pollen from the creosotebush ( Larrea tridentata ) and mesquite ( Prosopis glandulosa ). [10] They tend to visit larger open flowers due to their large size. [2] The foraging behavior consists of three movements- fast forward flight, hovering and perching or walking on the flower blossoms [11]

Floral sonication

Floral sonication is essential for the foraging of many Hymenoptera. [12] X. californica performs floral sonication to obtain pollen. [13] They do this by gripping the poricidal anthers with their mandibles and contracting their flight muscles, rapidly vibrating their body and the flower's anthers, releasing the pollen onto the abdomen and legs of the bees. [12] This process allows for pollination to happen.

The vibration frequency is different throughout their body; their head's natural vibration is 87 Hz, and their abdominal terga is 163 Hz. [13] X. californica can adjust its frequency to different types of flowers. [12]

Temperature regulation

Xylocopa californica inhabit the deserts of southwestern North America and endure high temperatures while they forage. [11] Foraging in these high temperatures may cause thermoregulatory problems for the bee, which is increased by the heat released from the muscular activity needed for their flight. [11] Unlike other insects, they can fly in temperatures as high as 48°C, which would be deadly for others, but can fly for a short period of time. [11] On the other hand, they can not withstand temperatures lower than 10-15 °C. [11]

Reproduction

Mating behavior

Xylocopa californica has many types of mating behaviors. [14] These include hovering near sites and chasing away other males, exhibiting female-defense polygyny. [14] Multiple males may try to grasp the female when she returns to the nest, then a struggle between the males may happen to be able to grasp the female midair to copulate; in particular, they look for virgin females because females only mate once in their lifetime. [14] [15] After a few seconds, they separate, and the male returns to its hovering area. [15] Other males may patrol more than one nest and shuttle throughout many sites in a day. [14] If they are not patrolling the nests, then they may exhibit scramble competition at flowering sites, where they hope to catch a female. [14] The males are territorial, but they do not have a stinger. [2]

Nesting

Xylocopa californica carve their nest in wood. [2] They dig into the wood using their sharp mandibles while they vibrate their body- they do not eat the wood. [2] They dig a tunnel in substrates such as live or dead wood and hollow stems of the Yucca and Agave plants, then dig to the right and left, creating a T-shape nest. [2]

Their nest's success depends on the available pollen and nectar found in the area. [10] A suitable nest substrate is needed for their reproduction and survival; the quantity of stalks in the area is important in determining their total nest density. [10]

Predators

Ladder-backed woodpecker Ladder-backed Woodpecker Portal Rd TAS Bluebird Survey Portal AZ 2016-06-10at06-18-264 (40841286313).jpg
Ladder-backed woodpecker

Xylocopa californica does not have many predators, but in the southwest of Northern America, the ladder-backed woodpecker, Dendrocopos scalaria, has been observed to attack their nests. [10] And the bee fly, Anthrax simson, is a parasite of their nests [10]

There are reports of the honey bee, Apis mellifera , having negative effects on X. californica populations. The carpenter bees are attracted to the floral scents of the honey produced by the honey bees; X. californica may come near or inside their hives and get attacked by the hive resulting in the death of the carpenter bee. [16]

Disease

The fungus Ascosphaera apis is generally found in the larva of the European honey bee, Apis mellifera , causing the larva to be mummified. [17] It has also been found in X. californica, except the infected larva does not look the same as the honey bee's; they develop spore cysts beneath the larval integument. [17] X. californica are not the natural hosts of this fungus, but they may be infected if they visit the same plants as other infected honey bees. [17]

Subspecies

The species has three named subspecies, defined solely by coloration and geography: [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bee</span> Clade of insects

Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea. They are currently considered a clade, called Anthophila. There are over 20,000 known species of bees in seven recognized biological families. Some species – including honey bees, bumblebees, and stingless bees – live socially in colonies while most species (>90%) – including mason bees, carpenter bees, leafcutter bees, and sweat bees – are solitary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honey bee</span> Colonial flying insect of genus Apis

A honey bee is a eusocial flying insect within the genus Apis of the bee clade, all native to mainland Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current cosmopolitan distribution of honey bees, introducing multiple subspecies into South America, North America, and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carpenter bee</span> Common name for a genus of bees

Carpenter bees are species in the genus Xylocopa of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant material such as dead wood or bamboo. The main exceptions are species in the subgenus Proxylocopa, which dig nesting tunnels in suitable soil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mason bee</span> Genus of insects

Mason bee is a name now commonly used for species of bees in the genus Osmia, of the family Megachilidae. Mason bees are named for their habit of using mud or other "masonry" products in constructing their nests, which are made in naturally occurring gaps such as between cracks in stones or other small dark cavities. When available, some species preferentially use hollow stems or holes in wood made by wood-boring insects.

<i>Habropoda laboriosa</i> Species of bee

Habropoda laboriosa, the southeastern blueberry bee, is a bee in the family Apidae. It is native to the eastern United States. It is regarded as the most efficient pollinator of southern rabbiteye blueberries, because the flowers require buzz pollination, and H. laboriosa is one of the few bees that exhibit this behavior. It is active for only a few weeks of the year, while the blueberries are in flower during early spring, when the temperature is warm and humid. H. laboriosa are solitary bees that live alone but nest in close proximity with other nests of their species. They have similar features to bumble bees, but they are smaller in size compared to them. H. laboriosa are arthropods so they have segmented bodies that are composed of the head, thorax, and abdomen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern carpenter bee</span> Species of insect

Xylocopa virginica, sometimes referred to as the eastern carpenter bee, extends through the eastern United States and into Canada. They are sympatric with Xylocopa micans in much of southeastern United States. They nest in various types of wood and eat pollen and nectar. In X. virginica, dominant females do not focus solely on egg-laying, as in other bee species considered to have "queens". Instead, dominant X. virginica females are responsible for a full gamut of activities including reproduction, foraging, and nest construction, whereas subordinate bees may engage in little activity outside of guarding the nest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palynivore</span> Group of herbivorous animals

In zoology, a palynivore /pəˈlɪnəvɔːɹ/, meaning "pollen eater" is an herbivorous animal which selectively eats the nutrient-rich pollen produced by angiosperms and gymnosperms. Most true palynivores are insects or mites. The category in its strictest application includes most bees, and a few kinds of wasps, as pollen is often the only solid food consumed by all life stages in these insects. However, the category can be extended to include more diverse species. For example, palynivorous mites and thrips typically feed on the liquid content of the pollen grains without actually consuming the exine, or the solid portion of the grain. Additionally, the list is expanded greatly if one takes into consideration species where either the larval or adult stage feeds on pollen, but not both. There are other wasps which are in this category, as well as many beetles, flies, butterflies, and moths. One such example of a bee species that only consumes pollen in its larval stage is the Apis mellifera carnica. There is a vast array of insects that will feed opportunistically on pollen, as will various birds, orb-weaving spiders and other nectarivores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bees and toxic chemicals</span>

Bees can suffer serious effects from toxic chemicals in their environments. These include various synthetic chemicals, particularly insecticides, as well as a variety of naturally occurring chemicals from plants, such as ethanol resulting from the fermentation of organic materials. Bee intoxication can result from exposure to ethanol from fermented nectar, ripe fruits, and manmade and natural chemicals in the environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East African lowland honey bee</span> Subspecies of honey bee native to Africa

The East African lowland honey bee is a subspecies of the western honey bee. It is native to central, southern and eastern Africa, though at the southern extreme it is replaced by the Cape honey bee. This subspecies has been determined to constitute one part of the ancestry of the Africanized bees spreading through North and South America.

<i>Bombus lapidarius</i> Species of bee

Bombus lapidarius is a species of bumblebee in the subgenus Melanobombus. Commonly known as the red-tailed bumblebee, B. lapidarius can be found throughout much of Central Europe. Known for its distinctive black and red body, this social bee is important in pollination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western honey bee</span> European honey bee

The western honey bee or European honey bee is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name Apis is Latin for "bee", and mellifera is the Latin for "honey-bearing" or "honey carrying", referring to the species' production of honey.

<i>Xylocopa sonorina</i> Species of bee

Xylocopa sonorina, the valley carpenter bee or Hawaiian carpenter bee, is a species of carpenter bee found from western Texas to northern California, and the eastern Pacific islands. Females are black while males are golden-brown with green eyes.

<i>Apis cerana</i> Species of insect

Apis cerana, the eastern honey bee, Asiatic honey bee or Asian honey bee, is a species of honey bee native to South, Southeast and East Asia. This species is the sister species of Apis koschevnikovi and both are in the same subgenus as the western (European) honey bee, Apis mellifera. A. cerana is known to live sympatrically along with Apis koschevnikovi within the same geographic location. Apis cerana colonies are known for building nests consisting of multiple combs in cavities containing a small entrance, presumably for defense against invasion by individuals of another nest. The diet of this honey bee species consists mostly of pollen and nectar, or honey. Moreover, Apis cerana is known for its highly social behavior, reflective of its classification as a type of honey bee.

<i>Anthidium maculosum</i> Species of bee

Anthidium maculosum is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae, the leaf-cutter, carder, or mason bees. It is a solitary bee where the males are territorial and the females take part in polyandry. The males of A. maculosum differ from most other males of bee species because the males are significantly larger than females. In addition, subordinate males that act as satellites are smaller than territory-owning males. This species can be found predominately in Mexico and the United States.

<i>Bombus fervidus</i> Species of bee

Bombus fervidus, the golden northern bumble bee or yellow bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee native to North America. It has a yellow-colored abdomen and thorax. Its range includes the North American continent, excluding much of the southern United States, Alaska, and the northern parts of Canada. It is common in cities and farmland, with populations concentrated in the Northeastern part of the United States. It is similar in color and range to its sibling species, Bombus californicus, though sometimes also confused with the American bumblebee or black and gold bumblebee. It has complex behavioral traits, which includes a coordinated nest defense to ward off predators. B. fervidus is an important pollinator, so recent population decline is a particular concern.

<i>Peponapis pruinosa</i> Species of bee

Peponapis pruinosa is a species of solitary bee in the tribe Eucerini, the long-horned bees. Its common name is the eastern cucurbit bee. It may be called the squash bee, but this name can also apply to other species in its genus, as well as the other squash bee genus, Xenoglossa. This bee occurs in North America from the East Coast of the United States to the West Coast and into Mexico. It is an oligolege, specializing on a few host plants, the squashes and gourds of genus Cucurbita. Its range expanded as human agriculture spread throughout North America and squash plants became more abundant and widespread. It may also have spread naturally as the range of its favored wild host plant Cucurbita foetidissima expanded.

<i>Xylocopa nasalis</i> Species of bee

The Oriental carpenter bee, Xylocopa nasalis, or Xylocopa (Biluna) nasalis, is a species of carpenter bee. It is widely distributed in Southeast Asian countries. It is a major pollinator within its ecosystem, and is often mistaken for a bumblebee. The species leads a solitary lifestyle with a highly female-biased colony in the nest.

<i>Xylocopa sulcatipes</i> Species of bee

Xylocopa sulcatipes is a large Arabian carpenter bee. These multivoltine bees take part in social nesting and cooperative nesting. They are metasocial carpenter bees that nest in thin dead branches. One or more cooperating females build many brood cells. They have been extensively studied in Saudi Arabia and Israel.

<i>Xylocopa pubescens</i> Species of carpenter bee

Xylocopa pubescens is a species of large carpenter bee. Females form nests by excavation with their mandibles, often in dead or soft wood. X. pubescens is commonly found in areas extending from India to Northeast and West Africa. It must reside in these warm climates because it requires a minimum ambient temperature of 18 °C (64 °F) in order to forage.

<i>Xylocopa micans</i> Species of bee

Xylocopa micans, also known as the southern carpenter bee, is a species of bee within Xylocopa, the genus of carpenter bees. The southern carpenter bee can be found mainly in the coastal and gulf regions of the southeastern United States, as well as Mexico and Guatemala. Like all Xylocopa bees, X. micans bees excavate nests in woody plant material. However, unlike its sympatric species Xylocopa virginica, X. micans has not been found to construct nest galleries in structural timbers of building, making it less of an economic nuisance to humans. Carpenter bees have a wide range of mating strategies between different species. The southern carpenter bee exhibits a polymorphic mating strategy, with its preferred method of mating changing as the season progresses from early spring to mid summer. Like most bees in its genus, the southern carpenter bee is considered a solitary bee because it does not live in colonies.

References

  1. 1 2 "Xylocopa californica". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 LeBuhn, G., & Pugh N. B. 2013. Field Guide to the Common Bees of California: Including Bees of the Western United States. University of California Press. 107(1): 98-99.
  3. X. californica distribution map at DiscoverLife
  4. California Insects; Jerry A. Powell, Charles L. Hogue; 1989; University of California Press.
  5. Discoverlife.org: Xylocopa californica
  6. Chappell, Mark A. (1982). "Temperature Regulation of Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa californica) Foraging in the Colorado Desert of Southern California". Physiological Zoology. 55 (3): 267–280. ISSN   0031-935X.
  7. 1 2 Ackerman, Arthur J. (1916). "The Carpenter-Bees of the United States of the Genus Xylocopa". Journal of the New York Entomological Society. 24 (3): 196–232. ISSN   0028-7199.
  8. BugGuide.Net: Species − Xylocopa californica
  9. Richardson, S.C. 2004. Are Nectar-robbers Mutualists or Antagonists?. Oecologia. 139: 246-254.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Smith, W.E., and Whitford, W.G. 1978. Factors Affecting the Nesting Success of the Large Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa californica arizonensis '. Environmental Entomology. 7:614-616.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Chappell, M.A. 1982. Temperature Regulation of Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa californica) Foraging in the Colorado Desert of Southern California. Physiological Zoology. 55: 267-280.
  12. 1 2 3 Jankkauski, M., C. Casey., C. Heveran., M.K. Busby., S. Buchmann. 2022. Carpenter Bee Thorax Vibration and Force Generation Inform Pollen Release Mechanisms During Floral Buzzing. Scientific Reports. 12654.
  13. 1 2 King, M.J., and S.L., Buchmann. 2003. Floral Sonication by Bees: Mesosomal Vibration by Bombus and Xylocopa, but not Apis (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Ejects Pollen from Poricidal Anthers. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 76: 295-305.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Alock, John. 1991. Mate-Locating Behavior of Xylocopa californicaarizonensis Cresson (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 64: 349-356
  15. 1 2 Hurd Jr., P.D. 1958. Observations on the Nesting Habits of Some New World Carpenter Bees with Remarks on their Importance in the Problem of Species Formation (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Annals Entomological Society of America. 51: 365- 375
  16. Thoenes, S.C. 1993. Fatal Attraction of Certain Large-Bodied Native Bees to Honey Bee Colonies. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 66: 210-213.
  17. 1 2 3 Gilium, M., B. J. Lorenz., S. L., Buchmann. 1994. Ascosphaera apis, the Chalkbrood Pathogen of the Honey Bee, Apis mellifera, from Larvae of a Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa californica arizonensis. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. 63: 307-309.