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Shiny black 'bee'

B3B3 Posts: 27,022
in Wildlife gardening
No pic. I saw a shiny black bee. No fuzz and pure black grey wings with black veins. It looked like a cross between a fat round beetle and a bee.
The nearest I could find on the net was carpenter bees but most sites were American with plenty of information on how to get rid of them😒
Was it likely to have  been a carpenter bee?
In London. Keen but lazy.

Posts

  • tui34tui34 Posts: 3,313
    Hi @B3 - I have Carpenter Bees in an old beam supporting the garage.  They have been living there for some years now. The scouts zoom in on me when I walk past - maybe just to say "Howdy!".  When they have finished pollinating my garden, they are quiet for the rest of the summer.  I dread to think how many there are, but they are certainly not offensive.
    A good hoeing is worth two waterings.

  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 979
    I have them come to my terrace in Paris region. Lovely to watch always amazed at how such a huge bee can get into the tiniest of flowers.
    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,022
    Not worried about him/ her. Just curious😊 sounds like it's a carpenter then. Maybe he'll go in my bee house
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,490
    Sounds like a carpenter bee, only thing that terrifies my dog - she can face off something five times her size with hideous teeth (the neighbours) but hides under the bed if she spots one of these gentle creatures.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,814
    It is more likely to have been a common mourning bee based on your wing description. The large carpenter bee is a rare visitor to the UK and has violet wings.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,022
    Could well be(e) @steephill. I didn't note any grey markings, but then I wasn't looking for them.
    It does seem more likely. I've just read that they lay eggs in other bees' nests. Does this do any damage to the hosts apart from having uninvited guests to feed?
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 54,358
    'she can face off something five times her size with hideous teeth (the neighbours)'

    @Nollie - can I have the dug for the neighbours here?  :D
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,490
    She says if the weather is any better over there, she’ll think about it @Fairygirl ;)

    The Violet Carpenter Bee crossed the channel many years back and has been successfully breeding since so still a possibility B3. The first recorded breeding pair were found in Leicestershire in 2007 according to wiki. They are big, fat and iridescent if they catch the sunlight, but can just look black. Some don’t seem to have the violet colouring on the wings, a few here look rather dull - maybe the adolescents, they can be pretty dull.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • Anna33Anna33 Posts: 316
    Another suggestion is a female hairy footed flower bee... They're black as well, and I get lots of them this time of year (happily).
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,022
    We will never know. It did look quite fat in a beetly sort of way . Sat on the bench sunning itself until I was about to take a picture. Your bee has an unflattering name @Anna33😊
    In London. Keen but lazy.
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