Wasps can bee (hehe) a bit intimidating, whereas bumblebees somehow aren’t scary at all. They are just cute, obese, humming insects. So is this gigantic Broad-footed Carpenter Bee I found in Singapore! They are entirely black and make a very deep humming sound, while collecting nectar from large flowers.
What you wouldn’t have guessed: These bees seem to live on the edge! It came to light when I found this dead male on the ground. While ants started to harvest the meat, I noticed that the poor bee had fan-like antennas. I need to find that photo, hold on!
Butterfly males also have large antennas, and it is commonly known that the larger antennas help to trace females.
So I was sure this is a male. Then I found a source mentioning that those big bees have an interesting mating behavior, and that involves the “fantennas’! It seems that the male, which will be on top of the female for the act, uses the fans to cover the female’s eyes. That seems pretty feasible from a technical point of view. A bit more difficult is it to find the reason behind this. You would assume that closing the females eyes might relax her, so that she wouldn’t move away, or to avoid that she could spot a more pleasing male. But you must know that the bees FLY during mating! They are in the air, and the males decides to take over control, while the female gets carried away with closed eyes! That is one act, respect!
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