The variety of blossoms in our natural garden and numerous opportunities for insects to find their natural "home" has a magnetic effect. At the moment these magnets are the flowers of lavender, young acacia, sunflower, clary sage and yarrow.
In addition to the honey bees, there are more and more wild bees and hoverflies, which also use the water points. We were particularly happy about the arrival of a carpenter bee.
Are there bees made of wood? Yes, there are probably talented carvers who can make something like this. But here we are talking about the largest European bee, the carpenter bee.
We We have discovered the carpenter bee (Xylocopa; composed of Greek ξύλον xylon 'wood' and κόπτειν koptein 'to cut', i.e. 'the wood cutters') burrow in a pile of seasoned firewood hidden behind tall, sunlit tomato plants. The carpenter bee lives solitarily and can be recognized by the mostly black hair and the black, bluish/purple-tinged wings. The adult bee is up to 30 mm long. So quite an impressive phenomenon that cannot be overlooked.
The special thing about the bee is its nesting behavior. With its upper lip, it cuts tunnels up to 40 cm long and about 10 mm in diameter in dead wood. This can also be hardwood, as is the case with us, with acacia wood. She looks for her place in the spring, builds a suitable tunnel and then lays her eggs. The young bees hatch by late summer and usually remain individually or in small groups in the "made nest" or look for a new shelter, for example in wooden slits. Male carpenter bees also live in burrows. The cycle will start again next spring. The settlement of carpenter bees is favored by the comparatively higher temperatures in Hungary. The bee is also common in southern Germany. If you are interested in the settlement of carpenter bees, you can simply drill a slightly thicker, well-seasoned log (not fresh wood) with a 10 mm drill about 2 cm deep. The trunk should be at least 50 cm long. With a bit of luck and the right weather, the garden or balcony will have a new resident. Warm greetings from the Hungarian summer and be(e) good, yours Klaus Heinzel
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