A Large Bee

A large bee zoomed around the apple tree in my backyard yesterday.  I was reading a book.  I wondered if it was a queen bee looking to form a new hive.  She was not landing on flowers but flying in circles amid the apple tree branches.  I ran upstairs to grab my camera.  I found her still buzzing around when I returned.  She would not stay still or travel a predictable path.  She was hard to capture in a photograph.  

She sat on a branch for several seconds.  I was able to step closer, but I could not adjust my camera before she flew away.  I went back to reading.  She did not choose my yard for a hive.  But maybe she wasn't a queen.  Maybe it was just a very large bee.