This bee has set up his territory in my garden and is extremely effective at driving away all other insects from his chosen plants. I say "his" because I have read that male Carpenter bees have this habit. Does anybody recognise this species?
Patrolling a stretch of around 10m, buzzing back and forth non-stop, he dive-bombs any other insect which tries to feed on the plants in his range, Even insects more than triple his size like the black Carpenter bee. Other bees, butterflies, wasps etc. too. Preferred tactic is to scoot back and forth, hover about a foot away from anything he spots and then dive in knocking the other off the flower. The insect is then chased away. He has a very loud buzz, disproportionate to his size. I wonder if I would have more butterflies visiting if he weren't around?
I spent some time this morning filming him in action but don't think I can attach videos to postings. Or can I?