Drone Carpenter Bee
Xylocopa virginica

   Carpenter Bees are wood boring bees, which makes them unloved, but they are valuable pollinators of wild and domestic fruit blossoms that feed wildlife and us.

   Female carpenter bees are less likely to be noticed than males, because they go about their business visiting flowers and provisioning nests. But males will hover around us, investigating our every move. This is not aggressive behavior, it is curiosity. He is looking for mates. This gentle giant bee is no threat whatsoever; he has no stinger. He's not too bright, either, if he thinks you are a sex object.

   But need not fear him. In fact, teach your kids to play with him. Toss a pebble into the air and watch him chase it. Dance with him.

   If you have a large bee hovering "in your face," look for the white spot on his face to identify the drone:

Copyright 2001, David L. Green

If you want to get really close and personal, here's what he looks like:

Copyright 2002, by David L. Green

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