Green Tree Ant vs Tropical Carpenter Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Green Tree Ant Tropical Carpenter Bee
Scientific Name Oecophylla smaragdina subnitida Xylocopa latipes
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Formicidae Apidae
Size 5-10 mm 25-35 mm
Habitat Forests Underground
Diet Nectar Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Northern Australia South Asia, Southeast Asia
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Green Tree Ant

An Australian subspecies of the Asian weaver ant with distinctive bright green coloring. Indigenous Australians have traditionally eaten them and used their nests for medicinal purposes.

💡

Did You Know?

They taste like lime or lemongrass due to their high formic acid content and are eaten as bush food in northern Australia.

Tropical Carpenter Bee

One of the largest bee species in Asia with jet-black coloring and broad wings. They produce a loud buzzing flight sound and bore into bamboo and dead timber.

💡

Did You Know?

Their enormous size and loud buzz often cause alarm, but they are generally docile and rarely sting.