Mediteranian Bee sighting in the uk

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by od0man

I can't think what else it could be confused with - other than Anthophora plumipes, which has clear rather than violet wings, is a little smaller, usually appears in March and favours nesting in the ground or soft mortar. So this is rather unlikely!
This is potentially very exciting given most sightings so far have been on the south coast.
Oh, by the way, high everyone! Just joined and this is my first post; what an exciting first thread to be involved with
Cheers,
Steve.

Welcome Steve- yes this is a potentially exciting thread, though best to err on side of caution until we have the evidence. I would have thought mis-identification with Anthophora was unlikely- I would say they are much smaller. It's one of the few solitary bees I can confidently ID; they're regular in my garden visiting the Pulmonarias in early spring. The male resembles Bombus pascourum in general colour but the flight + high-pitched buzz is totally different to any bumblebee!

Let's hope we get some photos on here of the possible Xylocopa!

[od0man]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

Welcome Steve- yes this is a potentially exciting thread, though best to err on side of caution until we have the evidence. I would have thought mis-identification with Anthophora was unlikely- I would say they are much smaller. It's one of the few solitary bees I can confidently ID; they're regular in my garden visiting the Pulmonarias in early spring. The male resembles Bombus pascourum in general colour but the flight + high-pitched buzz is totally different to any bumblebee!

Let's hope we get some photos on here of the possible Xylocopa!

I have a photo of one that I took in Kefalonia two years ago that may be of use for comparison. It's at:
VioletCarpenterBee.Kefalonia.07-06-05 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Cheers,
Steve.

[eucera]

What a lovely pic of a female Xylocopa. However, I can't be absolutely certain that this is X. violacea. Separation of females of X. violacea and the remarkably similar X. valga (also widespread but much less common) requires microscopic examination. Males are easy... providing one can see the antennae!

[eucera]

Any further news on these bees recently? I gather that the smaller species of Xylocopa (X. iris) is now flying in southern France.

Cheers Stuart

[violetcarpenterbee]

Originally Posted by eucera

Any further news on these bees recently? I gather that the smaller species of Xylocopa (X. iris) is now flying in southern France.

Cheers Stuart

Hi Stuart
I spotted one again today but it was lurking inside one of the holes they have made in the tree trunk, tomorrow is forecast to be sunny and 11c. I wil try and get some pictures.
Derick.

[eucera]

Pics of the holes they are hiding in would be great too.... especially if I can see faces! How many holes are there? and how many bees do you think? Are they all in separate holes or in the same one/s?

Stuart

[violetcarpenterbee]

Originally Posted by eucera

Pics of the holes they are hiding in would be great too.... especially if I can see faces! How many holes are there? and how many bees do you think? Are they all in separate holes or in the same one/s?

Stuart

Hi Stuart,
There are about 6 holes in the tree trunk, like the one in the attached pictures. I have seen bees going in and out of them I think there is more than one bee using each hole, sorry no pics of bees yet. I think the weather needs to be a little warmer to temp them out again, I dont know how many bees there are but one day last summer I counted eight in the garden in view at the same time.

Please click on the attached links below for pictures of the holes and the tree trunk:

www.constella.co.uk/bees/hole1.jpg

www.constella.co.uk/bees/hole2.jpg

www.constella.co.uk/bees/trunk.jpg

[wyevilla]

This is a great thread - its begining to read like a detective story. Can't wait to see the little blighters! Good luck.

[eucera]

Originally Posted by violetcarpenterbee

Hi Stuart,
There are about 6 holes in the tree trunk, like the one in the attached pictures. I have seen bees going in and out of them I think there is more than one bee using each hole, sorry no pics of bees yet. I think the weather needs to be a little warmer to temp them out again, I dont know how many bees there are but one day last summer I counted eight in the garden in view at the same time.

Please click on the attached links below for pictures of the holes and the tree trunk:

www.constella.co.uk/bees/hole1.jpg

www.constella.co.uk/bees/hole2.jpg

www.constella.co.uk/bees/trunk.jpg

This all looks quite encouraging really. I don't get much idea of scale with these pics of the holes, but I suspect you could, perhaps, stick your thumb into each.

It wouldn't be unusual for Xylocopa to be using the holes as communal roosts, in fact, George Else & I found no less than 7 males of X. cantabrita roosting in an empty rivet hole on a railway sleeper that was being used as a boundary post in southern Spain.

If these ARE Xylocopa, then 8 individuals in one place is a pretty remarkable observation! I can't wait to see pics when it all warms up. There are quite a lot flying now in the Paris area of France (so I heard today), so it won't be long now before your beasties take to the air.

Shots of the HEAD will be critical in determining these to species level, although any pic should enable us to sort to genus. Here is a link to X. violacea showing the diagnostically coloured sub-apical segments of the antennae of the male: Framed on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Let the sun shine!!

Stuart

[eucera]

Will today be the day?? Beautiful sunny "bumblebee" weather down here in Salisbury!

Good hunting

Stuart
ps... LOTS of Xylocopa violacea records pouring in from all over France (except the far north) - Spring is certainly sprung there now