So, we're chucking the tennis ball around for T-dog and Betty has me run and get the camera. We've seen lots of honey bees and plenty of your standard mil-spec black and yellow bumble bees, but this was a new one on us. Betty, who likes to name things, animate and inanimate has dubbed this fine beast, "Oscar."
If my Googling chops are suffering good karma, this might be a Bombus fervidus (Fabricius) (assuming that the name submitted for blessing by the ESA went through back in '07).
[NOTE: updated 9-Jun-08 --
My Google-fu has failed me on this one. Here's a photo of the fervidus:
and, while it certainly has less black, it's not what we saw.
So, being desirous of a more formal name than, "Oscar," I'll propose Bombus festivus (a bug for the rest of us!)]
[Second update (9-jun-08): The Google-fu chi returns!
I found our friend, a form of carpenter bee known as Xylocopa varipuncta here, with this nice photo:
OK -- the search appears done, but feel free to drop us a comment... we're pretty amazed with the printed-circuit look to the face (and the fact the picture came out halfway decently).
9 comments:
That is amazing. It looks alien. Maybe it IS alien? Probably I'm not helping here.
Maybe it's a Google-mapping insect robot or the NSA wants to keep an eye on Tomokee.
Come to think of it, it was odd that it coming back and staring at me...
my God, i thought you were going to chip in with some decisive insght at the end there, not leave it with ‘we leave it to you to decide’.
Well, the Xylocopa varipuncta decision looks good -- that was the best insight we had to work with.
I saw one of these today in Westminster, Ca. I freaked out... thanks for doing the research for me. =)
Glad this was of use -- I must say it confounded us for a bit -- good to know we weren't part of some alien invasion.
Cheers,
Thanks for the research. I have one of these coming into our front yard every afternoon without fail. It freaks me out cuz it seems very territorial. Strange looking for sure. Upon looking up the name, I see that it's a male and does not have a stinger. My daughter's relieved!
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