Xylocopa micans, m, back, Charleston Co., SC

The other eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa micans). Here is the male...more blue than black. This species does not inhabit the porches, fences, decks, and cedar siding of our houses like its cousin X. virginica. Instead it seems to select small diameter downed dead wood (though this is based on looking at pictures on google...so likely this is only part of the story). No records on the East Coast north of VA. Photo by Anders Croft. Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200. USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos that bleed into the black background from "hot" color sections of the picture.