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Carpenter Bee

or Xylocopa spp., abejorro, ge’e pana:l

Common Misspellings: Carpinter, carpintur

About

The Sonoran Desert is abuzz with bees. With about 1000 different species, 这片沙漠可能比世界上任何其他地方都有更多的蜜蜂多样性. 研究人员和后院蜜蜂爱好者都很兴奋地发现更多2022世界杯下注聪明的蜜蜂的信息.

Carpenter bees are in the genus Xylocopa (xylo- meaning “of wood,” like in xylophone). There are many species of Xylocopa, but most are large, 黑蜂用它们强壮的下颚在木头上筑巢(像小木匠). 在许多种类的蜜蜂中，雄性的毛发都是黄色的，因此它们被称为“泰迪熊蜜蜂”.”

Adaptations

成年木蜂花很多时间从一朵花飞到另一朵花，为自己和幼虫寻找含糖的花蜜和富含蛋白质的花粉. 在许多植物中，花粉很容易收集，但有些植物将花粉隐藏起来. When carpenter bees encounter a plant with hidden pollen, 它们会在花朵上以一定的频率振动它们的身体来释放花粉——这被称为 floral sonication or “buzz pollination”. 这使得蜜蜂可以从更多种类的花中收集花粉，并使它们成为这些植物特别有用的传粉者. At an inch long, 这些大蜜蜂不能像其他传粉者那样钻进管状的小花里, but it doesn’t stop these tenacious insects! 它们只是在花的底部咬一个小口，用舌头吸出富含能量的花蜜. This behavioral adaptation is called nectar robbing.

索诺兰沙漠很热，但索诺兰木蜂有一种特殊的 thermoregulation. 它们的形状使它们能够将体内的热量传递到头部和腹部, and then release it into the air as they zoom around. 这使得它们即使在超过100华氏度(超过40摄氏度)的温度下也能继续飞行。, temperatures that would overheat most insects.

Food Web

Carpenter bees use their mandibles to chew through wood, but they don’t eat it. They use it to build the sawdust walls of their nests. Like most bees, Xylocopa adults are nectivorous 传粉者，在花之间传递花粉，因为它们来觅食. 授粉帮助花朵变成果实——一种对人类和各种生物都很重要的食物来源.

木藻本身也是其他生物的重要食物来源. 鸟类经常捕捉木蜂(尤其是啄木鸟，它们钻到蜂巢里吃幼蜂)。. 对于大多数节肢动物来说，这些蜜蜂太大太快了, but they are occasionally eaten by large spiders or mantises. 其他节肢动物，如螨虫、黄蜂和苍蝇，会寄生在木蜂和它们的幼虫身上.

Habitat and Range

There are about 500 species of carpenter bees. They can be found everywhere on Earth except at sea, at the tops of the tallest peaks, and in Antarctica.

索诺兰木蜂在筑巢的地方特别有创意，因为索诺兰沙漠的木材较少. 有些人使用龙舌兰或丝兰茎，有些人在人造结构中使用未涂漆、未经处理的木材.

Family Life

When it comes time to settle down and start a family, 木匠蜂房看起来与大多数人与蜜蜂联系在一起的拥挤的蜂巢有点不同. Carpenter bees prefer hardwood floors and space to themselves. 它们经常和其他木蜂一起选择邻居的巢穴，但它们不是社会性的. 当雌性准备产卵时，它会找到一块很好的裸露的木头，咬出一条隧道. 在这个隧道里，每个卵都有自己的房间，由蜜蜂制成的锯末隔开. 每个管子将容纳几个房间，一个接一个地排成一行. 尽管这些蜜蜂通常独自建造管状巢穴, some daughters may stay home and help their mother raise a new brood by cleaning and protecting the nest.

雄性偶尔也会逗留在附近，恐吓任何离入口太近的动物. 几代蜜蜂可能会回到同一个巢穴，并在多年的扩张过程中改变巢穴的形状. No matter what the nest looks like, 每个房间都有一条蜜蜂面包(花蜜和花粉的混合物)和一个卵，然后用锯末密封.

卵在一周内孵化，在接下来的六周内吃蜜蜂的面包，从幼虫发育到蛹，最后变成成虫. While males die shortly after their spring mating season, females can live up to three years, especially if helped by their daughters.

Glossary

Genus:: 下一个分类等级/组由种往上，然后是科.
Nectar robbing:: Drinking nectar from flowers without pollinating them.
Floral sonication:: Vibrations that trigger the release of pollen from flowers. Some flowers require this to release their pollen.
Thermoregulation:: 有机体控制自身内部温度的能力.
Nectivorous:: Having a diet that consists mainly of nectar.
Mandibles:: Insects’ cutting/chewing mouthparts, like jaws.
Parasitize:: To infest, exploit, or live off of.
Brood:: A group of young that hatch at the same time.

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Fun Facts

Xylocopa sonorina是索诺兰沙漠中常见的一种，在夏威夷也有发现. It’s unclear how they got there, 但人们认为，在19世纪70年代之前的某个时候，人类已经把它们运送了出去.

Many Xylocopa bees have a compartment called an acarinarium on their abdomens that houses beneficial mites. These mites live on the bee and in the nest, eating parasites.

只有雌性木蜂会螫人(所有蚂蚁、黄蜂和蜜蜂都是如此)。. 也就是说，雄性木蜂在保卫巢穴时会假装会蜇人.

木匠蜂产的卵是所有昆虫中最大的，大约有一厘米长.

刚吃完它们的蜜蜂面包，正要从幼虫变成蛹, the baby bees take one giant poop, the first poop of their lives.

Conservation

Carpenter bees are not considered endangered, 但近年来昆虫数量急剧下降. 这种“昆虫末日”是栖息地丧失等压力因素的结果, overuse of pesticides, and light pollution.

为了帮助木匠蜂的数量，你可以为它们提供筑巢地点. Keep dead tree stumps, flower stalks, etc., in your yard for natural nesting sites or make bee houses. See instructions on how to make one here. When constructing bee houses, 可更换或可清洁的部件是防止潜在有害细菌生长或传播的理想选择, fungi, viruses, and parasites.