Eastern Carpenter Bee vs Common Carder Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Eastern Carpenter Bee Common Carder Bee
Scientific Name Xylocopa virginica Bombus pascuorum
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Apidae
Size 19-23 mm 9-18 mm
Habitat Gardens Underground
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Eastern North America Western Europe, Central Europe, Northern Europe
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Eastern Carpenter Bee

A large robust bee that resembles a bumble bee but has a shiny black hairless abdomen. It excavates nesting tunnels in wood and is an effective pollinator of many garden flowers and crops.

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Did You Know?

Males are extremely territorial and will hover aggressively near people, but they lack a stinger and cannot sting.

Common Carder Bee

A fluffy ginger-brown bumblebee that builds nests on the ground surface using moss and grass. It has one of the longest flight seasons of any European bumblebee.

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Did You Know?

Workers 'card' moss fibres over the nest like wool, which gives the species its common name.