Male and female Banded Carpenter Bees.

Always a wonder to see the Banded Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa caffra) at work.

I will also show you a Giant Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa flavorufa).

The male carpenter in the picture above, is yellow in color, and he normally patrols his territory. Not that this guy sits much, so I had to take all of his photos in flight. The female is another story, as she has two banded yellow lines on her back.
According to Wikipidia there are many carpenter bee species across the world. The good thing is that some species are also great pollinators.

Carpenter bees are species in the genus Xylocopa of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera.[1] The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant material such as dead wood or bamboo. The main exceptions are species in the subgenus Proxylocopa, which dig nesting tunnels in suitable soil.

Source

As I said above, this guy was in a constant flight mode.

He cruised around in his territory, and I caught him in a few hovers.

And now, let's have a look at the female carpenter bees.

Two yellow bands across their backs.

Not every day that one sees two of them, and in fact it is a first for me.

Finally, here below is the Giant Carpenter Bee.

There was a lot of yellow pollen on its body.

When they sit like this, they occasionally flap their wings at blinding speeds.

Nature is full of wonders, and it always asks us as humans to come and have a look. A place that we call heaven on earth. To hear the music that a river makes as it runs over a rocky bed, and to be surrounded with the birdsong of many species can stroke one's soul. The trees use the wind to whisper to each other, and a tortoise makes its slow way ahead in a footpath. A rustle in a bush and a rabbit makes a brief appearance. Nature is indeed the place to be.

Lately I seem to become more absent minded, and I can only ascribe it to the pills that I have to take every day. Statins, blood pressures, anti-acids, only to name a few, oh, and also internal bleeding that the doctors cannot find. It has resulted in chronic iron levels and anemia that is dropping my weight to scarecrow levels. I have had several iron infusions and colonoscopies, with no successes. So, my mental status is slowly but surely being eradicated, and I struggle to cope with everyday life.
But you know what I say, such is life.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.

Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.

Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.

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