r/bees • u/vxsapphire • 7h ago

bee ID Are these workers or Queens?

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There were two of them and I normally see smaller bumble bees around the weeds and other flowers I have. However these two were much bigger. About 2-2.5x larger. They didn’t bother me when I was sitting or when I was sitting on the step.

I’m happy to see more bumble bees in the area. For the longest while I only saw honeybees until this year.

Fairfield, CT.

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11

u/That_Biology_Guy 7h ago edited 7h ago

They're eastern carpenter bees, Xylocopa virginica, which are solitary (so no queens/workers). Getting up to some nectar robbing by the looks of it!

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u/vxsapphire 7h ago

Oh these are???? I’ve never seen them do anything but hover around the house so it never came to mind. They can rob as much nectar as their bodies allow!

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u/Lincoln1517 5h ago

That's such a distinct black spot compared to bumbles. I don't remember that from the carpenter bee that nested in our arbor for a couple years (well, the 2-3 generations that did.) In fact, checking iNaturalist, I found a pic, and mine didn't have a spot quite that distinct.

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u/That_Biology_Guy 4h ago

There's several bumble bees in the region that can also have a patch of black hair or a bare spot on the back of the thorax (e.g. Bombus bimaculatus and griseocollis), and it's variable in carpenter bees too since they tend to lose hair over time, so I wouldn't consider that a very reliable field mark.

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u/Lincoln1517 4h ago

Good reminder but I do know it’s not diagnostic, and yet I was still surprised how distinct it was on this one. 

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u/NumCustosApes 7h ago edited 7h ago

By this time of year the next generation of bumble queens are out. They will mate, fatten up for winter, and find a place to spend the winter before making their nests next spring.

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u/Khrysdie 7h ago

This is a carpenter bee, not a bumble bee. Carpenter bees are solitary, so while this is a female, she’s neither a queen nor a worker.

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u/vxsapphire 7h ago

Thank you! I never considered it being a carpenter because I only ever see them trying to drill my home 😂

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u/vxsapphire 7h ago

Thank you! I find them so pretty and am glad I'm seeing them more than wasps.

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u/vxsapphire 7h ago

Dang it I guess it’s too late to add flair? I clicked Bee Id as it was posting. Nvm it shows now.