Giant Neotropical Carpenter Bee vs Desert Large-headed Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Giant Neotropical Carpenter Bee Desert Large-headed Bee
Scientific Name Xylocopa frontalis Ctenocolletes nigricans
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Stenotritidae
Size 25-35 mm 11-15 mm
Habitat Woodlands Deserts & Drylands
Diet Wood Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Central America Central and Western Australia
Conservation Not Evaluated Data Deficient

Giant Neotropical Carpenter Bee

One of the largest bees in the Americas with a robust black body and yellowish thoracic hair. Females bore nesting tunnels into dead wood and timber.

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Did You Know?

It is the most effective natural pollinator of passion fruit, and crop yields decline significantly where it disappears.

Desert Large-headed Bee

A dark-bodied, heat-tolerant bee found in arid inland Australia. It forages during the hottest parts of the day when most other bees are inactive.

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Did You Know?

It can remain active in ambient temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius that would ground most other bee species.