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A violet carpenter bee (Xylocopa violacea) foraging Wisteria flowers in early Spring.
One of the largest bees in Europe, the female has a stinger but is not aggressive. It makes its nest in dead wood, hence the "carpenter" name.
Usually carpenter bees attack the soft or rotten wood, but they are capable of digging a gallery in a piece of treated oak frame.
After mating, the queen lays the eggs in a series of small cells, each one supplied with a pollen and nectar ball for the larvae to feed upon.
It takes care to close the nest entrance with a small ball that looks like cotton.
Carpenter bees have a clear preference for Wisteria flowers.