R. baetica
         M. religiosa
         M. florea
         Tephritid fly
         X. violacea
         Bombus sp.
         C. virgo
         P. pennipes
         O. brunneum
         T. plebejus

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Unless otherwise noted, all pictures on this site were taken in Pelion, Greece, shown on the map below.

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View images of the Common Toad, an ugly, bulky, but really sweet creature with an interesting... nightlife.

  Veggie of the Month

Learn about the Salsify, a beautiful plant, with edible and medicinal properties, that is currently blooming in Pelion.

  Cool Destination

Visit Mourtias, one of Pelion's most picturesque beaches on the Aegean coast.

  Exciting Site

Tour the Volos Archaeological Museum, a pretty century-old building, whose exhibits span a historical period of over 10 millennia!

  Month's Wallpaper

Download a fantastic picture of a rickety jetty in Lefokastron, Pelion, taken by Huw Jones.

Loading image. Please wait Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa violacea) :: 2003/07/25 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa violacea) :: 2003/07/25 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa violacea) :: 2003/07/25 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa violacea) :: 2003/07/25 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa violacea) :: 2003/07/25 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos

Carpenter Bee

Xylocopa violacea

Readily identified by its color, this handsome solitary bee flies in summer and autumn and again in spring, after hibernation. It is about 25 mm (approx. 1 in) long, glossy black all over, with sparse black hairs. The opaque wings are dark brown with a lilac-coloured sheen. Despite its fast flight and fearsome appearance, it is not aggressive and rarely stings.

Carpenter bees usually attack fairly solid wood (e.g. dead unrotted trees and tree-stumps, felled timber, fence posts, etc.). They sometimes tunnel into the timbers and beams of houses, barns and other buildings, and may cause considerable structural damage if left unchecked. Each bee excavates a large nest-tunnel, often over 30 cm (12 in) long, divided off into a number of separate cells by partitions of chewed wood chips. Each cell is stocked with a mass of nectar and pollen on which the female lays an egg. Like other solitary bees, when nesting is finished the female bee leaves her eggs and grubs to develop on their own, through to the next generation of adults.

It is noteworthy that the Genus name, Xylocopa, is derived from the Greek noun "xylon", meaning wood, and the Greek verb "copto", meaning to cut. The word "xylocopos" is Greek for lumberjack.


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Fact Sheet

Food
Flower nectar.

Active
March to September.

Habitat
A variety of rough, flowery habitats. Nests in dead wood, excavating its own holes.

Distribution
A southern species, becoming rarer northwards. Absent from the UK, except as a rare vagrant.


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Taxonomy


Superkingdom: Eukaryota; Kingdom: Metazoa; Phylum: Arthropoda; Subphylum: Chelicerata; Superclass: Hexapoda; Class: Insecta; Subclass: Neoptera; Order: Hymenoptera; Suborder: Aculeata; Superfamily: Apoidea; Family: Apidae; Subfamily: Xylocopinae; Genus: Xylocopa; Species: violacea.

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