Description
The Great Carpenter Native bee or xylocopia, has a very loud buzz. I caught a glimpse of her as she buzzed right pass the house towards a flowering tree, that is just past the chook shed. I followed her bright yellow jacket, and suddenly I realised that I had seen her before. I didn’t realise she was a bee, because she is such a big gal at 15-24cm, I thought she was a beetle. She is the largest native bee in Australia, and she is a buzz pollinator. That means she shakes her booty and shakes off the pollen which are caught on her fine hairy body and legs. She cuts out circles in leaves to build her nests and her skill is what gave her the name of Carpenter Bee.
