Carpenter bees are species in the genus ''Xylocopa'' of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfami ...

s in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant material such as dead wood or bamboo. The main exceptions are species in the subgenus '' Proxylocopa''; they dig nesting tunnels in suitable soil.

Etymology

The French entomologist

Pierre André Latreille Pierre André Latreille (; 29 November 1762 – 6 February 1833) was a French zoologist, specialising in arthropods. Having trained as a Roman Catholic priest before the French Revolution, Latreille was imprisoned, and only regained his freedom ...

described the genus in 1802. He derived the name from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...

''xylokopos''/ξυλοκὀπος "wood-cutter".

Characteristics

Many species in this enormous genus are difficult to tell apart; most species are all black, or primarily black with some yellow or white pubescence. Some differ only in subtle morphological features, such as details of the male genitalia. Males of some species differ confusingly from the females, being covered in greenish-yellow fur. The confusion of species arises particularly in the

common names In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

; in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, for example, the common name for any all-black species of ''Xylocopa'' is ''bhanvra'' (or ''bhomora'' - ভোমোৰা - in Assamese), and reports and sightings of ''bhanvra'' or ''bhomora'' are commonly misattributed to a European species, ''

Xylocopa violacea ''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 ...

''; however, this species is found only in the northern regions of

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

and

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

, and most reports of ''bhanvra'', especially elsewhere in India, refer to any of roughly 15 other common black ''Xylocopa'' species in the region, such as '' X. nasalis'', '' X. tenuiscapa'', or '' X. tranquebarorum''. Xylocopa Latreille

Non-professionals commonly confuse carpenter bees with

bumblebees A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related gene ...

; Sourced from Mitchell, T.B. (1962). ''Bees of the Eastern United States, Volume II''. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station. Tech. Bul. No.152, 557 p. the simplest rule of thumb for telling them apart is that most carpenter bees have a shiny abdomen, whereas bumblebee abdomens are completely covered with dense hair. Males of some species of carpenter bees have a white or yellow face, unlike bumblebees, while females lack the bare

corbicula ''Corbicula'' is a genus of freshwater and brackish water clams, aquatic bivalve mollusks in the family Cyrenidae, the basket clams.Gofas, S. (2015). Cyrenidae Gray, 1847. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Sp ...

of bumblebees; the hind leg is entirely hairy. The wing venation is characteristic; the marginal cell in the front wing is narrow and elongated, and its apex bends away from the costa. The front wing has small stigma. When closed, the bee's short mandibles conceal the labrum. The clypeus is flat. Males of many species have much larger eyes than the females, which relates to their mating behavior. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, two eastern species, ''

Xylocopa virginica ''Xylocopa virginica'', sometimes referred to as the eastern carpenter bee, extends through the eastern United States and into Canada. They are Sympatry, sympatric with ''Xylocopa micans'' in much of southeastern United States. They nest in variou ...

'' and '' X. micans'', occur. Three more species are primarily western in distribution, '' X. sonorina'', '' X. tabaniformis orpifex'', and '' X. californica''. ''X. virginica'' is by far the more widely distributed species. Xylocopa Caerulea

Ecological significance

In several species, the females live alongside their own daughters or sisters, creating a small social group. They use wood bits to form partitions between the cells in the nest. A few species bore holes in wood dwellings. Since the tunnels are near the surface, structural damage is generally minor or superficial. However, carpenter bee nests are attractive to

woodpecker Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions ...

s, which may do further damage by drilling into the wood to feed on the bees or larvae. Carpenter bees have short mouthparts and are important

pollinator A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are the m ...

s on some open-faced or shallow flowers; for some they even are obligate pollinators, for example the maypop (''

Passiflora incarnata ''Passiflora incarnata'', commonly known as maypop, purple passionflower, true passionflower, wild apricot, and wild passion vine, is a fast-growing perennial vine with climbing or trailing stems. A member of the passionflower genus ''Passiflora ...

'') and '' Orphium'', which are not pollinated by any other insects. They also are important pollinators of flowers with various forms of lids, such as ''

Salvia ''Salvia'' () is the largest genus of plants in the sage family Lamiaceae, with nearly 1000 species of shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and annuals. Within the Lamiaceae, ''Salvia'' is part of the tribe Mentheae within the subfamily Nepetoide ...

'' species and some members of the

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

. However many carpenter bees " rob"

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualist ...

by slitting the sides of flowers with deep corollae. ''

'' is one example of a species with such

nectar robbing Nectar robbing is a foraging behavior utilized by some organisms that feed on floral nectar, carried out by feeding from holes bitten in flowers, rather than by entering through the flowers' natural openings. "Nectar robbers" usually feed in this ...

behavior. With their short labia the bees cannot reach the nectar without piercing the long-tubed flowers; they miss contact with the anthers and perform no pollination. In some plants, this reduces fruit and seed production, while others have developed defence mechanisms against nectar robbing. When foraging for pollen from some species with tubular flowers however, the same species of carpenter bees still achieve pollination, if the anthers and stigmata are exposed together. Many

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by thei ...

carpenter bees have a special pouch-like structure on the inside of their first

metasoma The metasoma is the posterior part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma and the mesosoma. In insects, it contains most of the digestive tract, respiratory system, and cir ...

l tergite called the

acarinarium An acarinarium is a specialized anatomical structure which is evolved to facilitate the retention of mites on the body of an organism, typically a bee or a wasp. The term was introduced by Walter Karl Johann Roepke. Evolution The acarinarium ha ...

where certain

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear e ...

s ('' Dinogamasus'' species) reside as commensals. The exact nature of the relationship is not fully understood, though in other bees that carry mites, they are beneficial, feeding either on

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately fr ...

in the nest, or on other harmful mites.

Behavior

Carpenter bees are traditionally considered solitary bees, though some species have simple social nests in which mothers and daughters may cohabit. Examples of this type of social nesting can be seen in the species '' Xylocopa sulcatipes''Gerling, Dan; Hurd, Paul David; Hefetz, Abraham (1983). Comparative behavioral biology of two Middle East species of carpenter bees (''Xylocopa'' Latreille)(Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. Smithsonian Institution Press. and ''

Xylocopa nasalis The Oriental carpenter bee, ''Xylocopa nasalis'', or ''Xylocopa (Biluna) nasalis'', is a species of carpenter bee. It is widely distributed in Southeast Asian countries. It is a major pollinator within its ecosystem, and is often mistaken for ...

''. When females cohabit, a division of labor between them occurs sometimes. In this type of nesting, multiple females either share in the foraging and nest laying, or one female does all the foraging and nest laying, while the other females guard. Solitary species differ from social species. Solitary bees tend to be gregarious and often several nests of solitary bees are near each other. In solitary nesting, the founding bee forages, builds cells, lays the eggs, and guards. Normally, only one generation of bees live in the nest. ''

Xylocopa pubescens ''Xylocopa pubescens'' is a species of large carpenter bee. Females form nests by excavation with their mandibles, often in dead or soft wood. ''X. pubescens'' is commonly found in areas extending from India to Northeast and West Africa. It must ...

'' is one carpenter bee species that can have both social and solitary nests.Gerling, Dan, Paul David Hurd, and Abraham Hefetz. Comparative behavioral biology of two Middle East species of carpenter bees (''Xylocopa'' Latreille)(Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Smithsonian Institution Press, 1983. Carpenter bees make nests by tunneling into wood, bamboo, and similar hard plant material such as peduncles, usually dead. They vibrate their bodies as they rasp their

mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bone ...

s against hard wood, each nest having a single entrance which may have many adjacent tunnels. As a subfamily, they nest in a wide range of host plants, but any one species may show definite adaptations or preferences for particular groups of plants. The entrance is often a perfectly circular hole measuring about on the underside of a beam, bench, or tree limb. Carpenter bees do not eat wood. They discard the bits of wood, or reuse particles to build partitions between cells. The tunnel functions as a nursery for brood and storage for the pollen/nectar upon which the brood subsists. The provision masses of some species are among the most complex in shape of any group of bees; whereas most bees fill their brood cells with a soupy mass and others form simple

spheroid A spheroid, also known as an ellipsoid of revolution or rotational ellipsoid, is a quadric surface obtained by rotating an ellipse about one of its principal axes; in other words, an ellipsoid with two equal semi-diameters. A spheroid has ...

al pollen masses, ''Xylocopa'' species form elongated and carefully sculpted masses that have several projections which keep the bulk of the mass from coming into contact with the cell walls, sometimes resembling an irregular caltrop. The eggs are very large relative to the size of the female, and are some of the largest eggs among all insects. Carpenter bees can be timber pests, and cause substantial damage to wood if infestations go undetected for several years. Two very different mating systems appear to be common in carpenter bees, and often this can be determined simply by examining specimens of the males of any given species. Species in which the males have large eyes are characterized by a mating system where the males either search for females by patrolling, or by hovering and waiting for passing females, which they then pursue. In the other mating system, the males often have very small heads, but a large, hypertrophied

gland In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland). Structure De ...

ular reservoir in the

mesosoma The mesosoma is the middle part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma and the metasoma. It bears the legs, and, in the case of winged insects, the wings. In hymenopterans of t ...

releases pheromones into the airstream behind the male while it flies or hovers. The pheromone advertises the presence of the male to females. Male bees often are seen hovering near nests, and will approach nearby animals. However, males are harmless, since they do not have a stinger. Female carpenter bees are capable of stinging, but they are docile and rarely sting unless caught in the hand or otherwise directly provoked.

Natural predators

Woodpeckers Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions ...

eat carpenter bees, as do various species of birds, such as

shrike Shrikes () are passerine birds of the family Laniidae. The family is composed of 34 species in four genera. The family name, and that of the largest genus, '' Lanius'', is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes are also know ...

s and

bee-eater The bee-eaters are a group of non-passerine birds in the family Meropidae, containing three genera and thirty species. Most species are found in Africa and Asia, with a few in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by ...

s as well as some mammals such as ratels. Other predators include large

mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They ha ...

es and predatory flies, particularly large robber-flies of the family Asilidae. Woodpeckers are attracted to the noise of the bee larvae and drill holes along the tunnels to feed on them. Apart from outright predators,

parasitoid In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...

al species of bee flies (e.g. '' Xenox'') lay eggs in the entrance to the bee’s nest and the fly maggots live off the bee larvae.

Species

* '' Xylocopa abbotti'' (Cockerell, 1909) * '' Xylocopa abbreviata'' Hurd & Moure, 1963 * '' Xylocopa acutipennis'' Smith, 1854 * '' Xylocopa adumbrata'' Lieftinck, 1957 * ''

Xylocopa adusta Carpenter bees are species in the genus ''Xylocopa'' of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant ma ...

'' Pérez, 1901 * '' Xylocopa aeneipennis'' (DeGeer, 1773) * '' Xylocopa aerata'' (Smith, 1851) * '' Xylocopa aestuans'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoologi ...

) * '' Xylocopa aethiopica'' Pérez, 1901 * '' Xylocopa africana'' ( Fabricius, 1781) * '' Xylocopa albiceps'' Fabricius, 1804 * '' Xylocopa albifrons'' Lepeletier, 1841 * '' Xylocopa albinotum'' Matsumura, 1926 * '' Xylocopa alternata'' Pérez, 1901 * '' Xylocopa alticola'' (Cockerell, 1919) * '' Xylocopa amamensis'' Sonan, 1934 * '' Xylocopa amauroptera'' Pérez, 1901 * '' Xylocopa amazonica'' Enderlein, 1913 * '' Xylocopa amedaei'' Lepeletier, 1841 * '' Xylocopa amethystina'' (Fabricius, 1793) * '' Xylocopa andarabana'' Hedicke, 1938 * '' Xylocopa andica'' Enderlein, 1913 * '' Xylocopa angulosa'' Maa, 1954 * '' Xylocopa anthophoroides'' Smith, 1874 * '' Xylocopa apicalis'' Smith, 1854 * '' Xylocopa appendiculata'' Smith, 1852 * '' Xylocopa artifex'' Smith, 1874 * '' Xylocopa aruana'' Ritsema, 1876 * '' Xylocopa assimilis'' Ritsema, 1880 * '' Xylocopa augusti'' Lepeletier, 1841 * '' Xylocopa auripennis'' Lepeletier, 1841 * '' Xylocopa aurorea''

Friese Friese may refer to: * Carl Friese, an American mycologist * Christian-Peter Friese, (1948-1970), victim at the Berlin wall * Donald Friese (born 1940), American billionaire businessman * Friedemann Friese (born 1970), German board game designer ...

, 1922 * '' Xylocopa aurulenta'' (Fabricius, 1804) * '' Xylocopa bakeriana'' (Cockerell, 1914) * '' Xylocopa balteata'' Maa, 1943 * '' Xylocopa bambusae'' Schrottky, 1902 * '' Xylocopa bangkaensis'' Friese, 1903 * '' Xylocopa barbatella'' Cockerell, 1931 * '' Xylocopa bariwal'' Maidl, 1912 * '' Xylocopa basalis'' Smith, 1854 * '' Xylocopa bentoni'' Cockerell, 1919 * ''

Xylocopa bequaerti Carpenter bees are species in the genus ''Xylocopa'' of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant m ...

'' (Cockerell, 1930) * ''

Xylocopa bhowara Carpenter bees are species in the genus ''Xylocopa'' of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant m ...

'' Maa, 1938 * '' Xylocopa biangulata'' Vachal, 1899 * '' Xylocopa bicarinata'' Alfken, 1932 * '' Xylocopa bicristata'' Maa, 1954 * '' Xylocopa bilineata'' Friese, 1914 * '' Xylocopa bimaculata'' Friese, 1903 * '' Xylocopa binongkona'' van der Vecht, 1953 * '' Xylocopa bluethgeni'' Dusmet y Alonso, 1924 * '' Xylocopa bombiformis'' Smith, 1874 * '' Xylocopa bomboides'' Smith, 1879 * '' Xylocopa bombylans'' (Fabricius, 1775) * '' Xylocopa boops'' Maidl, 1912 * '' Xylocopa bouyssoui'' Vachal, 1898 * '' Xylocopa brasilianorum'' (

, 1767) * '' Xylocopa braunsi'' Dusmet y Alonso, 1924 * '' Xylocopa bruesi'' Cockerell, 1914 * '' Xylocopa bryorum'' (Fabricius, 1775) * '' Xylocopa buginesica'' Vecht, 1953 * '' Xylocopa buruana'' Lieftinck, 1956 * ''

Xylocopa caerulea Carpenter bees are species in the genus ''Xylocopa'' of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant ma ...

'' (Fabricius, 1804) * '' Xylocopa caffra'' (

, 1767) * '' Xylocopa calcarata'' (LeVeque, 1928) * '' Xylocopa calens'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''

Xylocopa californica The California carpenter bee, ''Xylocopa californica'', is a species of carpenter bee in the order Hymenoptera, and it is native to western North America. Distribution There are approximately 400 species worldwide of the genus ''Xylocopa.''LeB ...

'' Cresson, 1864 * '' Xylocopa caloptera'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa canaria'' (Cockerell & LeVeque, 1925) * ''Xylocopa cantabrita'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''Xylocopa capensis'' Spinola, 1838 * ''Xylocopa capitata'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa carbonaria'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa caribea'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''Xylocopa caspari'' van der Vecht, 1953 * ''Xylocopa caviventris'' Maidl, 1912 * ''Xylocopa cearensis'' Ducke, 1911 * ''Xylocopa ceballosi'' Dusmet y Alonso, 1924 * ''Xylocopa celebensis'' (Gribodo, 1894) * ''Xylocopa chapini'' (LeVeque, 1928) * ''Xylocopa chinensis'' Friese, 1911 * ''Xylocopa chiyakensis'' (Cockerell, 1908) * ''Xylocopa chlorina'' (Cockerell, 1915) * ''Xylocopa chrysopoda'' Schrottky, 1902 * ''Xylocopa chrysoptera'' Latreille, 1809 * ''Xylocopa ciliata'' Burmeister, 1876 * ''Xylocopa citrina'' Friese, 1909 * ''Xylocopa clarionensis'' Hurd, 1958 * ''Xylocopa claripennis'' Friese, 1922 * ''Xylocopa cloti'' Vachal, 1898 * ''Xylocopa cockerelli'' Maa, 1943 * ''Xylocopa codinai'' Dusmet y Alonso, 1924 * ''Xylocopa colona'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''Xylocopa columbiensis'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa combinata'' Ritsema, 1876 * ''Xylocopa combusta'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa concolorata'' Maa, 1938 * ''Xylocopa conradsiana'' Friese, 1911 * ''Xylocopa coracina'' van der Vecht, 1953 * ''Xylocopa cornigera'' Friese, 1909 * ''Xylocopa coronata'' Smith, 1861 * ''Xylocopa cribrata'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa cubaecola'' Lucas, 1857 * ''Xylocopa cuernosensis'' (Cockerell, 1915) * ''Xylocopa cyanea'' Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa cyanescens'' Brullé, 1832 * ''Xylocopa dalbertisi'' Lieftinck, 1957 * ''Xylocopa dapitanensis'' (Cockerell, 1915) * ''Xylocopa darwini'' Cockerell, 1926 * ''Xylocopa dejeanii'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''Xylocopa dibongoana'' Hedicke, 1923 * ''Xylocopa dimidiata'' Latreille, 1809 * ''Xylocopa disconota'' Friese, 1914 * ''Xylocopa distinguenda'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa ditypa'' Vachal, 1898 * ''Xylocopa diversipes'' Smith, 1861 * ''Xylocopa dolosa'' Vachal, 1899 * ''Xylocopa dormeyeri'' (Enderlein, 1909) * ''Xylocopa duala'' Strand, 1921 * ''Xylocopa electa'' Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa elegans'' Hurd & Moure, 1963 * ''Xylocopa erlangeri'' Enderlein, 1903 * ''Xylocopa erythrina'' Gribodo, 1894 * ''Xylocopa escalerai'' Dusmet y Alonso, 1924 * ''Xylocopa esica'' Cameron, 1902 * ''Xylocopa euchlora'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa euxantha'' Cockerell, 1933 * ''Xylocopa eximia'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa fabriciana'' Moure, 1960 * ''Xylocopa fallax'' Maidl, 1912 * ''Xylocopa fenestrata'' (Fabricius, 1798) * ''Xylocopa fervens'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''Xylocopa fimbriata'' Fabricius, 1804 * ''Xylocopa flavicollis'' (DeGeer, 1778) * ''Xylocopa flavifrons'' Matsumura, 1912 * ''Xylocopa flavonigrescens'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa flavorufa'' (DeGeer, 1778) * ''Xylocopa forbesii'' W. F. Kirby, 1883 * ''Xylocopa forsiusi'' Dusmet y Alonso, 1924 * ''Xylocopa fortissima'' Cockerell, 1930 * ''Xylocopa fransseni'' van der Vecht, 1953 * ''Xylocopa friesiana'' Maa, 1939 * ''Xylocopa frontalis'' (Olivier, 1789) * ''Xylocopa fuliginata'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa fulva'' Friese, 1922 * ''Xylocopa funesta'' Maidl, 1912 * ''Xylocopa fuscata'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa gabonica'' (Gribodo, 1894) * ''Xylocopa ganglbaueri'' Maidl, 1912 * ''Xylocopa gaullei'' Vachal, 1898 * ''Xylocopa ghilianii'' Gribodo, 1891 * ''Xylocopa gracilis'' Dusmet y Alonso, 1923 * ''Xylocopa graueri'' Maidl, 1912 * ''Xylocopa gressitti'' Lieftinck, 1957 * ''Xylocopa gribodoi'' Magretti, 1892 * ''Xylocopa grisescens'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''Xylocopa grossa'' (Drury, 1770) * ''Xylocopa grubaueri'' Friese, 1903 * ''Xylocopa gualanensis'' Cockerell, 1912 * ''Xylocopa guatemalensis'' Cockerell, 1912 * ''Xylocopa guigliae'' Lieftinck, 1957 * ''Xylocopa haefligeri'' Friese, 1909 * ''Xylocopa haematospila'' Moure, 1951 * ''Xylocopa hafizii'' Maa, 1938 * ''Xylocopa hellenica'' Spinola, 1843 * ''Xylocopa hirsutissima'' Maidl, 1912 * ''Xylocopa hottentotta'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa hyalinipennis'' Friese, 1922 * ''Xylocopa ignescens'' (LeVeque, 1928) * ''Xylocopa imitator'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa incandescens'' (Cockerell, 1932) * ''Xylocopa incerta'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa incompleta'' Ritsema, 1880 * ''Xylocopa inconspicua'' Maa, 1937 * ''Xylocopa inconstans'' Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa inquirenda'' Vachal, 1899 * ''Xylocopa insola'' Vachal, 1910 * ''Xylocopa insularis'' Smith, 1857 * ''Xylocopa io'' Vachal, 1898 * ''Xylocopa iranica'' Maa, 1954 * ''Xylocopa iridipennis'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''Xylocopa iris'' (Christ, 1791) * ''Xylocopa isabelleae'' Hurd, 1959 * ''Xylocopa javana'' Friese, 1914 * ''Xylocopa kamerunensis'' Vachal, 1899 * ''Xylocopa karnyi'' Maidl, 1912 * ''Xylocopa kerri'' (Cockerell, 1929) * ''Xylocopa kuehni'' Friese, 1903 * ''Xylocopa lachnea'' Moure, 1951 * ''Xylocopa lanata'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa langi'' (LeVeque, 1928) * ''Xylocopa lateralis'' Say, 1837 * ''Xylocopa lateritia'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa laticeps'' * ''Xylocopa latipes'' (Drury, 1773) * ''Xylocopa lautipennis'' (Cockerell, 1933) * ''Xylocopa lehmanni'' Friese, 1903 * ''Xylocopa lepeletieri'' Enderlein, 1903 * ''Xylocopa leucocephala'' Ritsema, 1876 * ''Xylocopa leucothoracoides'' Maidl, 1912 * ''Xylocopa levequeae'' Maa, 1943 * ''Xylocopa lieftincki'' Leys, 2000 * ''Xylocopa lombokensis'' Maidl, 1912 * ''Xylocopa longespinosa'' Enderlein, 1903 * ''Xylocopa longula'' Friese, 1922 * ''Xylocopa loripes'' Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa lucbanensis'' (Cockerell, 1927) * ''Xylocopa lucida'' Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa lugubris'' Gerstäcker, 1857 * ''Xylocopa lundqvisti'' Lieftinck, 1957 * ''Xylocopa luteola'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''Xylocopa macrops'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''Xylocopa madida'' Friese, 1925 * ''Xylocopa madurensis'' Friese, 1913 * ''Xylocopa maesoi'' Dusmet y Alonso, 1924 * ''Xylocopa magnifica'' (Cockerell, 1929) * ''Xylocopa maidli'' Maa, 1940 * ''Xylocopa maior'' Maidl, 1912 * ''Xylocopa marginella'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''Xylocopa mastrucata'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa mazarredoi'' Dusmet y Alonso, 1924 * ''Xylocopa mcgregori'' Cockerell, 1920 * ''Xylocopa mckeani'' (Cockerell, 1929) * ''Xylocopa meadewaldoi'' Hurd, 1959 * ''Xylocopa mendozana'' Enderlein, 1913 * ''Xylocopa merceti'' Dusmet y Alonso, 1924 * ''Xylocopa metallica'' Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa mexicanorum'' Cockerell, 1912 * ''Xylocopa meyeri'' Dusmet y Alonso, 1924 * ''Xylocopa micans'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''Xylocopa micheneri'' Hurd, 1978 * ''Xylocopa mimetica'' Cockerell, 1915 * ''Xylocopa minor'' Maidl, 1912 * ''Xylocopa mirabilis'' Hurd & Moure, 1963 * ''Xylocopa mixta'' Radoszkowski, 1881 * ''Xylocopa modesta'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa mohnikei'' Cockerell, 1907 * ''Xylocopa mongolicus'' (Wu, 1983) * ''Xylocopa montana'' Enderlein, 1903 * ''Xylocopa mordax'' Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa morotaiana'' Lieftinck, 1956 * ''Xylocopa muscaria'' (Fabricius, 1775) * ''Xylocopa myops'' Ritsema, 1876 * ''

'' Westwood, 1842 * ''Xylocopa nasica'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa nautlana'' Cockerell, 1904 * ''Xylocopa negligenda'' Maa, 1939 * ''Xylocopa nigrella'' Hurd, 1959 * ''Xylocopa nigrescens'' Friese, 1901 * ''Xylocopa nigricans'' Vachal, 1910 * ''Xylocopa nigricaula'' (LeVeque, 1928) * ''Xylocopa nigripes'' Friese, 1915 * ''Xylocopa nigrita'' (Fabricius, 1775) * ''Xylocopa nigrocaerulea'' Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa nigrocaudata'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa nigrocincta'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa nigroclypeata'' Rayment, 1935 * ''Xylocopa nigroplagiata'' Ritsema, 1876 * ''Xylocopa nigrotarsata'' Maa, 1938 * ''Xylocopa nitidiventris'' Smith, 1878 * ''Xylocopa nix'' (Maa, 1954) * ''Xylocopa nobilis'' Smith, 1859 * ''Xylocopa nogueirai'' Hurd & Moure, 1960 * ''Xylocopa nyassica'' Enderlein, 1903 * ''Xylocopa oblonga'' Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa obscurata'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa obscuritarsis'' Friese, 1922 * ''Xylocopa occipitalis'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa ocellaris'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa ocularis'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa ogasawarensis'' Matsumura, 1932 * ''Xylocopa olivacea'' (Fabricius, 1778) * ''Xylocopa olivieri'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''Xylocopa ordinaria'' Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa ornata'' Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa orthogonaspis'' Moure, 2003 * ''Xylocopa orthosiphonis'' (Cockerell, 1908) * ''Xylocopa pallidiscopa'' Hurd, 1961 * ''Xylocopa parviceps'' Morawitz, 1895 * ''Xylocopa parvula'' Rayment, 1935 * ''Xylocopa perforator'' Smith, 1861 * ''Xylocopa perkinsi'' Cameron, 1901 * ''Xylocopa perpunctata'' (LeVeque, 1928) * ''Xylocopa peruana'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa perversa'' Wiedemann, 1824 * ''Xylocopa pervirescens'' Cockerell, 1931 * ''Xylocopa phalothorax'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''Xylocopa philippinensis'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa pilosa'' Friese, 1922 * ''Xylocopa plagioxantha'' Lieftinck, 1964 * ''Xylocopa praeusta'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa prashadi'' Maa, 1938 * ''Xylocopa preussi'' Enderlein, 1903 * ''Xylocopa provida'' Smith, 1863 * ''Xylocopa proximata'' Maa, 1938 * ''Xylocopa przewalskyi'' Morawitz, 1886 * ''Xylocopa pseudoleucothorax'' Maidl, 1912 * ''Xylocopa pseudoviolacea'' Popov, 1947 * ''

'' Spinola, 1838 * ''Xylocopa pulchra'' Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa punctifrons'' Cockerell, 1917 * ''Xylocopa punctigena'' Maa, 1938 * ''Xylocopa punctilabris'' Morawitz, 1894 * ''Xylocopa pusulata'' Vachal, 1910 * ''Xylocopa ramakrishnai'' Maa, 1938 * ''Xylocopa rejecta'' Vachal, 1910 * ''Xylocopa remota'' Maa, 1938 * ''Xylocopa rogenhoferi'' Friese, 1900 * ''Xylocopa rotundiceps'' Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa rufa'' Friese, 1901 * ''Xylocopa ruficeps'' Friese, 1910 * ''Xylocopa ruficollis'' Hurd & Moure, 1963 * ''Xylocopa ruficornis'' Fabricius, 1804 * ''Xylocopa rufidorsum'' Enderlein, 1913 * ''Xylocopa rufipes'' Smith, 1852 * ''Xylocopa rufitarsis'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''Xylocopa rutilans'' Lieftinck, 1957 * ''Xylocopa samarensis'' (Cockerell & LeVeque, 1925) * ''Xylocopa sarawatica'' Engel, 2017 * ''Xylocopa schoana'' Enderlein, 1903 * ''Xylocopa scioensis'' Gribodo, 1884 * ''Xylocopa senex'' Friese, 1909 * ''Xylocopa senior'' Vachal, 1899 * ''Xylocopa shelfordi'' Cameron, 1902 * ''Xylocopa sicheli'' Vachal, 1898 * ''Xylocopa signata'' Morawitz, 1875 * ''Xylocopa similis'' Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa simillima'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa sinensis'' (Wu, 1983) * ''Xylocopa sinensis'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa smithii'' Ritsema, 1876 * ''Xylocopa sogdiana'' Popov & Ponomareva, 1961 * ''Xylocopa somalica'' Magretti, 1895 * ''Xylocopa sonorina'' Frederick Smith (entomologist), Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa sphinx'' Vachal, 1899 * ''Xylocopa splendidula'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''Xylocopa stadelmanni'' Vachal, 1899 * ''Xylocopa stanleyi'' (LeVeque, 1928) * ''Xylocopa steindachneri'' Maidl, 1912 * ''Xylocopa strandi'' Dusmet y Alonso, 1924 * ''Xylocopa subcombusta'' (LeVeque, 1928) * ''Xylocopa subcyanea'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa subjuncta'' Vachal, 1898 * ''Xylocopa subvirescens'' Cresson, 1879 * ''Xylocopa subvolatilis'' (Cockerell, 1918) * ''Xylocopa subzonata'' Moure, 1949 * '' Xylocopa sulcatipes'' Maa, 1970 * ''Xylocopa sulcifrons'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa suspecta'' Moure & Camargo, 1988 * ''Xylocopa suspiciosa'' Vachal, 1899 * ''Xylocopa sycophanta'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa tabaniformis'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa tacanensis'' Moure, 1949 * ''Xylocopa tambelanensis'' (Cockerell, 1926) * ''Xylocopa tanganyikae'' Strand, 1911 * ''Xylocopa tayabanica'' Cockerell, 1930 * ''Xylocopa tegulata'' Friese, 1911 * ''Xylocopa tenkeana'' Cockerell, 1933 * ''Xylocopa tenuata'' Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa tenuiscapa'' Westwood, 1840 * ''Xylocopa teredo'' Guilding, 1825 * ''Xylocopa tesselata'' Maa, 1970 * ''Xylocopa thoracica'' Friese, 1903 * ''Xylocopa togoensis'' Enderlein, 1903 * ''Xylocopa torrida'' (Westwood, 1838) * ''Xylocopa tranquebarica'' (Fabricius, 1804) * ''Xylocopa tranquebarorum'' (Swederus, 1787) * ''Xylocopa transitoria'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa tricolor'' Ritsema, 1876 * ''Xylocopa trifasciata'' Gribodo, 1891 * ''Xylocopa trochanterica'' Vachal, 1910 * ''Xylocopa truxali'' Hurd & Moure, 1963 * ''Xylocopa tumida'' Friese, 1903 * ''Xylocopa tumorifera'' Lieftinck, 1957 * ''Xylocopa turanica'' Morawitz, 1875 * ''Xylocopa uclesiensis'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa unicolor'' Smith, 1861 * ''Xylocopa ustulata'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa vachali'' Pérez, 1901 * ''Xylocopa valga'' Gerstäcker, 1872 * ''Xylocopa varentzowi'' Morawitz, 1895 * ''Xylocopa varians'' Smith, 1874 * ''Xylocopa varipes'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa velutina'' Lieftinck, 1957 * ''Xylocopa versicolor'' Alfken, 1930 * ''Xylocopa vestita'' Hurd & Moure, 1963 * ''Xylocopa villosa'' Friese, 1909 * ''

'' (

) * ''

'' (

, 1771) * ''Xylocopa viridigastra'' Lepeletier, 1841 * ''Xylocopa viridis'' Smith, 1854 * ''Xylocopa vittata'' Enderlein, 1903 * ''Xylocopa vogtiana'' Enderlein, 1913 * ''Xylocopa volatilis'' Smith, 1861 * ''Xylocopa vulpina'' Alfken, 1930 * ''Xylocopa waterhousei'' Leys, 2000 * ''Xylocopa watmoughi'' Eardley, 1983 * ''Xylocopa wellmani'' Cockerell, 1906 * ''Xylocopa wilmattae'' Cockerell, 1912 * ''Xylocopa xanti'' Mocsáry, 1883 * ''Xylocopa yunnanensis'' Wu, 1982 * ''Xylocopa zonata'' Alfken, 1930

Gallery

Carpenter bee head and compound eyes.jpg, Carpenter bees have large compound eyes. Their mandibles, when closed, cover the labrum. Carpenter-bee.JPG, Xylocopa (Biluna) tranquebarorum flapping.webm, '' X. tranquebarorum'' flight in slow motion Xylocopa caffra female, Anthophoridae, at Orphium fruitescens.jpg, '' Xylocopa caffra'' female foraging File:Carpenter bee uploaded by vijayanRajapuram.jpg, Carpenter bee at Kanhangad

References

External links

* *
United States ''Xylocopa'' Identification GuideList of SpeciesWorldwide Species Map

– taken near the town of Chavarillo, Veracruz, Mexico
Carpenter bees, ''Xylocopa'' spp.
on the University of Florida, UF / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, IFAS Featured Creatures Web site {{Authority control Xylocopinae Articles containing video clips Xylocopa,