Best Wood Nesting

Xylocopa virginica is a robust carpenter bee native to eastern North America. This species is distinguished by its habit of constructing elaborate, cylindrical nests within decaying wood, primarily dead trees and branches. The bee’s precise tunnel-making ability makes it valuable for ecological stud...

Xylocopa grisescens is a large carpenter bee described by Lepeletier in 1841, widespread in Brazil and an important pollinator in the Caatinga.

Xylocopa tenuiscapa is a large carpenter bee of South and Southeast Asia whose females excavate nesting tunnels in wood rather than forming hives.

Xylocopa nasalis is a large Asian carpenter bee described by Westwood in 1838 and distinguished by its dark body and strongly iridescent wings.

Xylocopa tranquebarorum, the bamboo carpenter bee, ranges from southern China to Taiwan and is notable for nesting inside hollow bamboo stems.

Xylocopa sonorina, commonly called the valley carpenter bee or Sonoran carpenter bee, is a large carpenter bee first described by Frederick Smith in 1874. Females excavate nesting tunnels in wood, while males and females differ visibly in coloration. The species occurs in parts of western North Amer...

Anthophora furcata is a European solitary bee described by Panzer in 1798, unusual among digger bees because it excavates nests in decaying wood.

Xylocopa dissimilis is an Asian carpenter-bee name now generally treated as a synonym of Xylocopa nasalis, a species described by Westwood in 1838.

Xylocopa fenestrata is a species of carpenter bee in the family Apidae, described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1798 and recorded in South Asia. Like other carpenter bees, it excavates nesting tunnels in wood rather than consuming the wood as food, and females provision brood cells with pollen and...

Xylocopa olivieri is a ground-nesting carpenter bee described by Lepeletier in 1841, occurring in arid regions from southeastern Europe into Asia.

Xylocopa aestuans, the tropical carpenter bee, is a large solitary bee found throughout Southeast Asia and Oceania, serving as a vital pollinator for various agricultural crops.

Xylocopa iris is a species of carpenter bee widespread across Southeast Asia, distinguished by its unique nesting habits in structural wooden beams and hollow plant stems.

Xylocopa californica, the California carpenter bee, is a large bee species native to the western United States that is notable for excavating nesting galleries in dead wood.

Described by Spinola in 1838, Xylocopa pubescens is a species of carpenter bee native to the Middle East and parts of the Mediterranean. The species exhibits distinct sexual color dimorphism, with males and females displaying markedly different appearances. Females are generally dark and uniformly c...

Xylocopa micans, commonly referred to as the southern carpenter bee, is a large insect native to the United States, predominantly found in the southeastern regions. Originally described by Amédée Louis Michel le Peletier in 1841, the species is an important pollinator for various open-faced flowers....

The Wood-carving Leafcutter Bee is distinguished by its habit of nesting in decaying wood and lining the cavities with neatly cut leaf fragments.

Xylocopa caffra is a species of large carpenter bee native to sub-Saharan Africa, recognized for its distinct sexual dimorphism where females are black and males are yellow.

Xylocopa splendidula, a large carpenter bee native to South America, is notable for its striking, vibrant metallic green coloration described by early entomologists.