??? looked like a bumble bee with blue purple wings

[Beeboy]

Hi Everyone

My first post ,

Today I was in the garden and I noticed a huge black bumble bee looking insect shiny looking , it had bluish purple wings and was feeding off my wisteria I have seen a huming bird moth last year and it could fly as quickly as that and could hover

Any ideas as I have never saw one before I will get my camera ready just in case I live in South Wales by the coast

Thank you

[jamesthornton]

Only thing I can think of is Xylocopa violacea?

[Geoff F]

That was my first thought. Does this mean that they are overwintering in parts of the UK now?

[Matt Smith]

Sounds a good description of Xylocopa violacea - there have been a few confirmed instances of this species breeding and / or overwintering in the UK in recent years but it has not quite established a permenant presence it seems. Eucera may be able to say more.

[Beeboy]

Hi
Yes thats the one I thought it a hornet at first as it was flying round my beehive then realised it wasnt , it actualy hovered opposite my face , but as a beekeeper I know about keeping still it done this for about a minute checking me out then went back to feeding on the wisteria , I was just taken aback by the size of it and the purple blue wings


Thanks

[eucera]

Does sound very like Xylocopa... and the only species ever recorded in UK is X. violacea.

This record is the first I have heard of this year

[Beeboy]

Hi all

Thanks for the info.
If you google Violet Carpenter bee it makes good reading

BB