In my neighbourhood, I often see two types of carpenter bees. One is black with metallic hues on its wings and the other one is smaller with a deep yellow on its chest. Dead bamboo that I often use to stake my plants are the favourite haunts of the first one. They fly in circles and come back to the same perch giving me the opportunity to take my photos.
Carpenter bees are large, hairy bees distributed worldwide. They get their name from the fact that they build their nests in burrows in dead wood, bamboo, or structural timber. Wiki says that carpenter bees are traditionally considered solitary bees, though some species have simple social nests in which mothers and daughters may cohabit. However, even solitary species tend to be gregarious, and often several will nest near each other. It has been occasionally reported that when females cohabit, there may be a division of labor between them, where one female may spend most of her time as a guard within the nest, motionless and near the entrance, while another female spends most of her time foraging for provisions. Source.
Here's a closer look at the precision round holes they make on dead bamboo. Doesn't this remind you of a flute?
It's difficult to capture the yellow-chested one as it moves so rapidly. But I included this image because the colour is so striking, especially against that black.
