Carpenter Bee on Bee Balm

Bee balm (Monarda punctuata) attracts butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. Look how pollen from the anthers of the bee balm sticks to the top of this bulky, native southern carpenter bee (Xylocopa micans), easily identified by its ‘shiny hiney‘.

This carpenter bee methodically moved from tiny flower to flower. The tiny speckled flowers are arranged in a whorl around them stem with dangling anthers that ‘dust’ pollen onto the bee’s back.


As the carpenter bee leaves to depart, hopefully for another bee balm plant, it is coated with a pile of pollen.