Heather Angel / Carpenter bee (Xylocopa sp) nectaring on Clary sage (Salvia sclarea). Pollen deposited on bee's back by hanging anthers. Turkey. June.

Heather Angel / Carpenter bee (Xylocopa fimbriata) nectaring on Quickstick / Mother of cocoa tree (Gliricidia sepium). Chiapas, Mexico.

Heather Angel / Carpenter bee (Xylocopa caffra) male piercing corolla to rob nectar from Ninepin heath (Erica mammosa), failing to pollinate flower. Harold Porter Botanic Garden, Cape Fynbos, South Africa. February.

Heather Angel / Carpenter bee (Xylocopa caffra) male robbing nectar from Ninepin heath (Erica mammosa), not pollinating flower. The Cape, South Africa. February.

Derek Galon / Tropical carpenter bee (Xyloscopa brasilianorum) pollinating a Passionfruit (Passiflora edulis). Dominica, Eastern Caribbean.

Derek Galon / Tropical carpenter bee (Xyloscopa brasilianorum) pollinating a Passionfruit (Passiflora edulis). Dominica, Eastern Caribbean.

Derek Galon / Tropical carpenter bee (Xyloscopa brasilianorum) pollinating a Passionfruit (Passiflora edulis). Dominica, Eastern Caribbean.

Nature Production / Carpenter bee (Xylocopa ogasawarensis) endemic species, collecting nector from Schima mertensiana, endemic species, Chichijima, Ogasawara Islands UNESCO World Heritage Site, Japan

Fabrice Cahez / Violet carpenter bee (Xylocopa violacea) Vosges, France, April.

Nick Upton / Violet carpenter bee (Xylocopa violacea) nectaring on a Spiny globe thistle (Echinops spinosissimus) flower, Crete, Greece, July.

MYN / Clay Bolt / Carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica) next to a Small carpenter bee (Ceratina), South Carolina, USA. Composited image. Meetyourneighbours.net project

MYN / Clay Bolt / Eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica) with high density of mites, next to a Cuckoo bee (Holcopasites calliopsidis), which is dwarfed by a US dime. Composite. Meetyourneighbours.net project