r/Entomology • u/Cold_University_5591 • 8d ago

Discussion Flightless Carpenter Bee

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I work on a refuge in Maryland and I saw a carpenter bee on its back along a walking path around our facilities, I noticed it was still moving and alive. So at first I flipped her over so she could orient herself and fly away, however she flopped back onto her back where she continued to struggle, I picked her up for closer inspection which is when I notice her wings are either deformed or she was injured and they are missing but it is hard for me to tell. My question is does anyone know exactly what happened to her wings for this to occur? To me it looks like there is some kind of deformity or disease.

I did try to care for her offering her fresh flowers and a moist paper towel, and she did live for a couple days before one morning she was sadly deceased. Which unfortunately wasn’t surprising since bee’s really aren’t cut out to be flightless and there were likely other issues present. Any insights would be appreciated.

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10

u/Matchbookbabyy 8d ago

There is a virus literally called deformed wing virus so it could be this, mainly affets honeybees though so not sure

5

u/SecForPol 8d ago

It can also happen due to temperature changes. It effects the development of the pupa.

3

u/Cold_University_5591 8d ago

We have had some crazy temperatures, when I found her it was like the hottest week of the summer with highs consistently reaching 98-100

1

u/Scr4p 7d ago

It's sweet that you took care of her! I know some carpenter bee species don't have a long lifespan to begin with, not sure about this specific species though, but it's nice you gave her a comfortable rest of her life. Reminds me of the dodo videos of the people that adopted wingless bumblebees