Subject: Yellow bug
Location: South Africa
January 6, 2017 5:10 am
Please help identify this creature.
Signature: Rachel Klass
Dear Rachel,
This is a male Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa caffra. We found the first similar looking image on Wildlife Den, and on Africa Wild we learned: “Large (body length 20-24 mm), stout. The females are black and hairy with two white or yellow bands over the hind thorax and first abdominal segment respectively, while the males are uniform greenish yellow in colour. Females with white bands are associated with dry climatic conditions during larval development, but females of either colour, or colour grade, may emerge from the same brood. In the Western Cape all have yellow bands however. ” ISpot has many images of female Carpenter Bees, but there are very few images of male Carpenter Bees on iSpot. We do have an image of a female South African Carpenter Bee in our archives.
Hi Daniel
Thank you so much fot your help. Much appreciated!
Regards
Rachel Klass