Ceratina cyanea, common name blue carpenter bee, is a species of bee belonging to the family Apidae, subfamily Xylocopinae.
Distribution This species is present in most of Western Europe, in North West Africa and in the eastern Palearctic realm (excluding China). Global species
Habitat This undemanding species colonize both dry habitats and wetlands. It inhabits forest edges, thickets and gardens.
Description
Ceratina cyanea can reach a length of (females) and (males).Naturspaziergang Head, chest and abdomen show a metallic blue colour.British Journal of Entomology and Natural History - Volume 8 - 1995 These bees have three submarginal cells in forewings,John L. Capinera - Encyclopedia of Entomology club-shaped antennae and a long thin tongue. The scutellum is densely punctured. The seventh tergite has a deep saddle and ends in two points. Révision des Xylocopinae (Hymenoptera : Apidae) de France et de BelgiqueFelix Amiet, M. Herrmann, A. Müller, R. Neumeyer: Fauna Helvetica 20: Apidae 5. Centre Suisse de Cartographie de la Faune, 2007
Biology The blue carpenter bees fly from mid-March to mid-October, collecting pollen at various families of plants, especially knapweed (Centaurea), yellow composites (Asteraceae) and Lotus (Fabaceae).Essex Field Club
Females dig the nest extracting the soft tissue that fills the cavities of the vertical or slanted dry plant stems and small branches, such as thistles, blackberries (Rubus species), elderberries (Sambucus species) and roses. Then they provide the cells with a mixture of regurgitated nectar and pollen to feed the larvae. Adult males and females overwinter inside their cells into the stems. Often several insects spend the winter together.
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