Carpenter Bee

Description:

Large, the size of bumblebees and some species as large as the largest bumblebee; much of the time these are the largest bee around; told from the similar looking bumblebees by the combination of all black abdomen (X. virginica has scattered and sometimes hard to see yellow hairs at the base) and those hairs present on the abdomen are sparse enough to clearly see the shining integument (skin) below; most males with a white spot on their face; when resting, Xylocopa hold their wings splayed some to the sides (resembling swept-backjet fighter wings), not neatly overlapped down the back like bumblebees.

Habitat:

Wildlife habitat yard.

Notes:

Carpenter bees have very powerful thoracic muscles—when carpenter bees land on flower blossoms they become living tuning forks and can “sonicate” the dry pollen grains out of the flowers’ anthers. This type of pollen collection in known as "buzz pollination." Carpenter bees are reported as being excellent pollinators of many vegetables and flowers.