Archivo: Xylocopa wailea maui hawaii

Description: A large female Sonoran carpenter bee (Xylocopa sonorina) foraging in a shady field of Chinese violet (Asystasia gangetica). Although not present in the narrow frame, there are less than a dozen carpenter bees working the same flowers nearby. Following closely behind them are more than a dozen honey bees (Apis mellifera). One month before, a photograph of A. mellifera working the field was captured in direct sunlight: A. mellifera There is some discussion about whether X. sonorina is a primary nectar "robber" of A. gangetica, directly paving the way for secondary robbery by A. mellifera who is able to access the plant nectar after X. sonorina has visited the flower. For further information see Barrows (1980) and Villalobos & Shelly (1996).
Title: Xylocopa wailea maui hawaii
Credit: Own work
Author: Viriditas
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Attribution Required?: Yes