Eastern Carpenter Bee

Xylocopa virginica is the largest bee in the eastern US (about 2.5 cm body length) and one of about 500 species in genus Xylocopa worldwide. The species superficially resembles bumblebees (similar size, similar flight pattern, similar buzz) but the abdomen is glossy black and largely hairless — bumblebees have fully fuzzy abdomens with bright yellow bands. Females excavate nesting tunnels in unpainted, weathered, dry softwood: cedar shingles, redwood decks, pine beams, fascia boards, fence rails, and dead branches are all targets. The boreholes are perfectly round, about 1.6 cm in diameter, and the tunnels can extend 15-30 cm parallel to the wood grain. Each tunnel is partitioned into 5-10 brood cells separated by walls of chewed wood pulp. Although individual carpenter bees rarely cause serious damage, repeated annual reuse of the same gallery system across decades can produce significant structural deterioration. Males are unmistakable: they hover aggressively in front of intruders (including humans) and perform threat-display flights, but they have NO sting and are completely harmless. Females have stings but rarely use them. Like related Xylocopa species, X. virginica is a major 'buzz pollinator' — she vibrates her flight muscles at 400 Hz to shake pollen out of flowers like tomatoes, blueberries, and cranberries that release pollen only to vibration.