Flat Oak Borer vs Green Carpenter Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Flat Oak Borer Green Carpenter Bee
Scientific Name Smodicum cucujiforme Xylocopa aerata
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Cerambycidae Apidae
Size 7-12 mm 15-20 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Eastern North America Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Flat Oak Borer

An unusually flat, reddish-brown cerambycid that breeds under the bark of dead oaks in North America. Its flattened body allows it to navigate the tight spaces between bark and sapwood. Adults are nocturnal and attracted to lights.

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Did You Know?

Its body is so flat that it was originally described as a member of Cucujidae, the flat bark beetle family.

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.