Carpenter Ant vs Green Carpenter Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Carpenter Ant Green Carpenter Bee
Scientific Name Camponotus pennsylvanicus Xylocopa aerata
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Formicidae Apidae
Size 6-13 mm 15-20 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Eastern North America Australia
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Carpenter Ant

The largest common ant in North America, excavating smooth galleries in dead wood for nesting. Unlike termites, they do not eat wood but merely remove it to create living space.

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Did You Know?

Injured workers that cannot keep up during colony relocations are carried by nestmates to the new site.

Green Carpenter Bee

A striking carpenter bee with a metallic green or golden-green thorax found only in Australia. It nests in soft dead wood and pithy plant stems.

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Did You Know?

It is one of only a handful of bee species in the world with vivid metallic green body coloring in the genus Xylocopa.