Species Xylocopa virginica - Eastern Carpenter Bee

WEBIOCOSM ZOO

Last Updated August 26, 2006

Kingdom Animalia:

Phylum Arthropoda:

Subphylum Hexapoda:

Class Insecta:

Order Hymenoptera:

Family Anthophoridae:

Genus Xylocopa:

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Xylocopa virginica
Eastern Carpenter Bee

This is from my mother's garden. Though I love garlic in my food, I have never given much thought to the plant itself, Allium sativum. I was impressed with this plant's size and its flowers. This plant is about 4 1/2 feet tall and was being worked over by several carpenter bees. The carpenter bee, subfamily Xylocopinae, is divided into large carpenter bees-Xylocopa species and small carpenter bees-Ceratina species. The name carpenter bee comes from the fact that they bore holes in wood to make nests. They can cause significant damage to wooden structures, but they are generally considered to be beneficial insects because of their role as pollinators. It looks similar to a bumble bee, but can be distinguished by its relatively bare shiny black abdomen. Here is some more info on the Carpenter bee.

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References

Animal Diversity Web

Genus:

Xylocopa

Species:

Xylocopa virginica

Wikipedia:

Genus:

Xylocopa

Species:

Xylocopa virginica