Ceratina cyanea

Ceratina cyanea
Ceratina cf. cyanea on Asphodelus macrocarpus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Apidae
Genus:	Ceratina
Subgenus:	Euceratina
Species:	C. cyanea
Binomial name
Ceratina cyanea (Kirby, 1802) [1]

Ceratina cyanea, common name blue carpenter bee, is a species of bee belonging to the family Apidae.

Description

Ceratina cyanea can reach a length of 5–9 millimetres (0.20–0.35 in) (females) and 5–7 millimetres (0.20–0.28 in) (males).^[2] Head, chest and abdomen show a metallic blue colour.^[2][3] These bees have three submarginal cells in forewings,^[4] club-shaped antennae^[2] and a long thin tongue.^[2] The scutellum is densely punctured. The seventh tergite has a deep saddle and ends in two points.^[5][6]

The blue carpenter bees fly from mid-March to mid-October,^[2] collecting pollen at various families of plants, especially knapweed (Centaurea), yellow composites (Asteraceae) and Lotus (Fabaceae).^[7]

Females nest in the vertical or slanted dead plant stems,^[3][7] such as thistles, blackberries (Rubus species),^[3] elderberries (Sambucus species) and roses.^[2][3] Then they provide the cells with a mixture of regurgitated nectar and pollen to feed the larvae.^[2] Adult males and females overwinter inside their cells into the stems. Often several insects spend the winter together.^[2]

Habitat

This undemanding species colonize both dry habitats and wetlands. It inhabits forest edges, thickets and gardens.^[2][7]

Distribution

This species is present in most of Western Europe, in North West Africa and in the East Palaearctic ecozone (excluding China).^[1][5][8]

References