Carpenter Bee vs Pantaloon Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Carpenter Bee Pantaloon Bee
Scientific Name Xylocopa violacea Dasypoda hirtipes
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Melittidae
Size 20-28 mm 12-15 mm
Habitat Woodlands Beaches & Coastal
Diet Wood Feeders Pollen Feeders
Regions Europe, Asia Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Carpenter Bee

A large, robust bee with an entirely black body showing violet-blue iridescent wings. It excavates nest tunnels in dead wood and is an important pollinator of open-faced flowers.

💡

Did You Know?

Despite their intimidating size and loud buzz, male carpenter bees are completely harmless as they lack a stinger and merely bluff when defending their territory.

Pantaloon Bee

A distinctive solitary bee where females have enormously long pollen-collecting hairs on their hind legs. It digs deep burrows in sandy soil.

💡

Did You Know?

Its leg hairs can hold so much pollen that the loaded scopae are wider than the bee's entire body.