In addition, passion-fruit flowers (Passiflora edulis flavicarpa) have been found to bloom in synchrony with tropical carpenter bee foraging rhythms, indicating an evolving relationship between the two species. They naturally perform the same function in Indonesia and Malaysia and the rest of Southeast Asia. Role in Pollination Ĭarpenter bees are used commercially in the Philippines to pollinate passion-fruit flowers. They tend to avoid nyatoh, kapur, kempas, and mengkulang (local names for native trees of Malaysia). Preferred wood species for the tropical carpenter bee include, Syzygium cumini, Cassia siamea, Dyera costulata (jelutong), Agathis alba (damar minyak), Alstonia spp. Tropical carpenter bees choose dead wood, pithy stems and bamboo culms for nesting. Tropical carpenter bees construct multiple galleries (3 - 5) of about 11 cm in length and 2.1 - 2.3 cm in diameter. In cold seasons, they need all their honey to get through the season. In Malaysia, tropical carpenter bees often choose useful structural woods as nesting sites, as they are able to burrow through it with their powerful mandibles. The carpenter bee, for example, is an all-black bee that does make honey but only in very small quantities. Xylocopa latipes are considered multivoltine as they can have more than two generations per year but this depends on the availability of floral resources in their habitat. It is thought that the dilated front legs of males of some species of carpenter bees collect and trap oils and odours that function during mating. Males grasp the females in flight and place their front or middle legs, which have fringes of long setae, over the compound eyes of their mate. In Urban areas, these bees can become attached to certain perches, returning to them day after day, even after several generations.Ĭarpenter bees mate on-the-wing. It has a loud and distinctive, low-pitched buzzing that can be heard as it flies between flowers or perches. The tropical carpenter bee is probably the largest Xylocopa known and among the largest bees of the world (though it is not the world's largest, that title belongs to another Southeast Asian bee, the Indonesian Megachile pluto). It is shiny, fully black in colour with fuscous metallic blue-green or purple wings in sunlight. The tropical carpenter bee is a very large, robust, solitary bee. It was first scientifically described by the English entomologist, Dru Drury in 1773, and is a member of the group of solitary bees (Family Apidae). similar in size and appearance to bumble bees. It often makes long deep tunnels in wooden rafters, fallen trees, telephone poles and the like, but is not found in living trees. Large Carpenter Bee ( Xylocopa) anywhere from 12-25 mm long. As its name suggests, this bee inhabits forests in warm tropical climates and constructs nests by burrowing into wood. Here are some common species found in Jurong Lake Gardens.Xylocopa latipes, the tropical carpenter bee, is a species of carpenter bee widely dispersed throughout Southeast Asia. They function as pollinators of many local plants such as Sendudok ( Melastoma malabathricum) and Simpoh Air ( Dillenia suffruticosa).Ībout 13 species of carpenter bees have been recorded in Singapore. They carry out buzz pollination, where they grab onto flowers and buzz at a specific frequency, releasing pollen in the process. Despite this, they are peaceful giants that are relatively docile and harmless. In addition to being large, they also buzz loudly while foraging for nectar and pollen from many trees and shrubs. Unlike honey bees, which live in colonies with a single egg-laying female (the queen), Carpenter Bees are considered solitary bees which live singly or in small groups. Large carpenter bees belong to the genus Xylocopa. These bees do not consume wood they feed on pollen and nectar and are important plant pollinators. Brood cells in their nest are filled with pollen and deposited with a single egg each. Carpenter bees get their common name due to the females habit of excavating galleries in wood to create nest sites for their young. These burrows branch out into many parallel passageways. True to their name, they create burrows in solid wood, usually dead tree trunks and branches or timber used for construction. Carpenter bees from the genus Xylocopa are large and often hairy bees that are usually dark coloured and about 20-30 mm in length.
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