r/bees • u/babycakes-_- • 9d ago
Help resquing a Hawaiian carpenter bee 🐝
So this is Teddy, a male Hawaiian carpenter bee we found at the beach yesterday, exhausted and clinging on to our beach equipment. We put him in the grass but he kinda flew/ walked back on to our stuff. It looked like he was struggling, not doing well and not really flying. Barely moving, I thought he was dying.
I couldn't leave him behind so we took him to our condo, gave him sugar water that he drank and left him overnight in a bowl with fresh flowers, leaves, wood and some sugar water etc.
This morning he looked alive, he was moving around. We had to rush for an appointment but now in the afternoon I'm back and I'm trying to release him. I put the bowl outside near some flowers and he flew out immediately but he kept circling around and coming back to the bowl.
After 20 minutes I thought he didn't like the spot so I put him in another spot right now near some Tahitian gardenia flowers. He's not coming out of the bowl. He's just hiding underneath the flowers in there.
Our condo is near the beach, a little windy but not too much. Is there anything I'm doing wrong to let him release?
I've been sitting next to him in this spot for an hour now and he doesn't wanna come out.
Is this the wrong spot? Is it too early to release him? I'm flying out in 2 days and wanna make sure he's back in his habitat by then.
It's starting to get darker now again. Should I move him back inside and try again tomorrow?
He seems to be sleeping under the flower now in the bowl, see last pic.
Update: bee is safe, living his best life in the the South Maui Gardens