Eastern Carpenter Bee (Male) - Xylocopa virginica
This male bee was sprawled out on a bridge. It was crawling along slowly, but the poor guy didn't seem to be doing very well.
They are large bees with a black, hairless abdomen. They have yellow fuzz on the thorax, and males have a white/yellow face.
The male bees are unable to sting, but they are the ones most frequently seen. They hover near their nests and will dart after anything that ventures into their territory. Carpenter bees do not actually eat wood, but they do excavate tunnels for shelter and as chambers to rear their young. This tunneling can cause damage to buildings.
The common eastern carpenter bee, "Xylocopa virginica", is the carpenter bee most often encountered in the eastern United States. It is often mistaken for a large bumblebee species, as they are similar in size and coloring.
