Milk Termite vs Giant Neotropical Carpenter Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Milk Termite Giant Neotropical Carpenter Bee
Scientific Name Schedorhinotermes lamanianus Xylocopa frontalis
Order Blattodea Hymenoptera
Family Rhinotermitidae Apidae
Size Workers 4-5 mm, major soldiers 7-8 mm 25-35 mm
Habitat Caves Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Northern Australia Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Central America
Conservation Not Evaluated Not Evaluated

Milk Termite

A large subterranean termite from tropical Australia with two distinct soldier sizes. Major soldiers have large mandibles while minor soldiers are smaller.

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Did You Know?

It gets its common name from the milky white secretion that soldiers exude when the colony is disturbed.

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.