Welcome a new dweller at our place...

   Busy spring day.   Late afternoon.   Buuzzzzz.  Head up and looking around. What was that?  Nothing can be seen.  Strange.  Sounds like a large bumblebee.   And again Buzzzzz.    Now I had a chance to spot a dark colored Something that zoomed around my head.   Sized like a large bumblebee, sounded like a bumblebee BUT what about the color?   A bumblebee from Chernobyl?  Or a creature from an eastern laboratory?   Gosh, need to find out.  Right,  let's  try to get a picture of  it first.   

Easy to say.   

A number of photos that could be labeled  like:

- the exact place where the creature was a blick ago

or

- the place where the creature will be seen in a split of a second

 

Later on I have managed  to get some reasonably good pictures with nicely sharp backgrounds but blurry image of the creature. 

And finally - patience brings roses - few shots with the creature.  Gotcha!

 

With the pictures and help of the aunt Wiki it was quite easy to find out what it is:

 WIKIPEDIA:

Xylocopa violacea, the violet carpenter bee, is the common European species of carpenter bee, and one of the largest bees in Europe. It is also native to Asia. Like most members of the genus Xylocopa, it makes its nests in dead wood. It is not particularly aggressive, and will attack only if forced to

Perhaps harmless for a cautious gardener but what about our trees with a deadwood?  At the end of the day it is a CARPENTER bee, isn't it.   Important part of their life cycle is a "production" of  tunnels in deadwood where they  lay their eggs.  Literally they are biting off decayed wood creating tunnes 10-30 cm long with a diameter of 12-13 mm.  Ouch!

 This particular bee has inspected the deadwood on one of my mahaleb.   The old stub was probably still too hard to chew.  She has tried it but then she has discovered old wooden bowl that I use as a decoration.  And she love it.   

Mahaleb stub with the initial work

This is the pile of  bitten off wood.  The tunnel is just above in the wooden bowl.  I have measured the depth of the tunnel once the bee left it.  18 cm right now.  Amazing.

Interesting to see something like that for the first time in my life.  I am happy to have it but I would need to check my trees with deadwood to avoid any open dispute...