Xylocopa virginica

Geographic Range

Eastern carpenter bees ( Xylocopa virginica ) are a Nearctic species found in the eastern, central, and southern parts of the United States. They can be found as far south as Guatemala. Their range stretches from Virginia to Florida, and west to Texas.

• Biogeographic Regions
• nearctic nearctic
  • native native

Habitat

Eastern carpenter bees create their nests in dry, coniferous woods, stumps, logs, or other dead trees. They dig into the wood and create long tunnels up to 47 cm long to nest. Nests are often found in trees of the genera cypress , pine , and juniper . Eastern carpenter bees tend to choose nesting sites on unpainted wood and wood with no bark. They often build nests in well-light areas. This species often nests in the same location for generations.

• Habitat Regions
• temperate temperate

• Terrestrial Biomes
• forest forest

Physical Description

Eastern carpenter bees resemble bumblebees. They have large, rounded bodies that are black with yellow hairs. The dorsal surface is black with a purplish tint, hairless, and shiny. Male eastern carpenter bees have a white spot on their face, but females have entirely black faces. Females can sting, while males can not. Larvae are whitish in color.

• Other Physical Features
• ectothermic ectothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry
• venomous venomous

• Sexual Dimorphism
• sexes colored or patterned differently

Development

Eggs of eastern carpenter bees are laid in their own individual cells in the nest. They hatch about 7-10 days after they are laid. Pupae remain in their cells until they are 20-22 days old. They do not undergo diapause. Juvenile bees are able to fly 3-4 days after they emerge from their cells, but they remain in the nest for 2 to 3 weeks. When they are not flying, they spend most of their time in the nests with their siblings.

• Development - Life Cycle
• metamorphosis metamorphosis

Reproduction

Male eastern carpenter bees catch females in order to mate with them. They will only pursue female bees in flight. If the female bee lands on something, the male bee will either leave her alone or attempt to pull her into the air.

Female bees may live up to two years, mating in the spring of their first year and nesting in their second. Nesting behavior includes digging nests and gathering supplies. There are often two or three females per nest, but only one digs, gathers supplies, and lays eggs. Male eastern carpenter bees defend the nests in March and April, mate with female bees, and die in the late spring.

Female bees may live up to two years, mating in the spring of their first year and nesting in their second. There are often two or three females per nest, but only one digs, gathers supplies, and lays eggs. Male eastern carpenter bees defend the nests in March and April, mate with female bees, and die in the late spring.

• Key Reproductive Features
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• fertilization fertilization
  • internal internal
• oviparous oviparous

Female eastern carpenter bees forage, construct the nests, and lay eggs. After constructing their nests, female bees will forage for pollen and consume nectar. The nectar is regurgitated, combined with the pollen, and mixed. This combination is used to construct the cells in which eggs are laid. Each cell contains one egg and is capped in chewed wood pulp. Female bees repeat this process until they have laid 6-8 eggs. Their daughters may remain in the nest after they become adults.

• Parental Investment
• female parental care female parental care
• pre-hatching/birth
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • male
    • female
• pre-independence
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female
• post-independence association with parents

Lifespan/Longevity

Female eastern carpenter bees live for up to two years. Adult bees emerge from their nests in March after a few warm days have occurred. Juvenile bees leave their cells and nests in June. Males die in the late spring. Newly hatched males overwinter with the females in the nest but die in the following spring.

Behavior

Eastern carpenter bees only leave their nests on warm days. They can be solitary or social, which means they nest alone or in groups. Male eastern carpenter bees are territorial and will defend their nests.

Females of this species are responsible for building nests. A single female will choose a nesting site, typically on dead trees, logs, or stumps, and will begin to chew a hole. She will create the nesting tunnel, known as a gallery, 15 mm in diameter. Female bees are able to chew at a rate of about 15 mm per day. If the grain of the wood is vertical, the gallery will be built vertically. Similarly, if the grain of the wood is horizontal, then the gallery will be built horizontally. Completed, newly-built galleries are about 35-45 mm in length. Alternatively, old nesting sites may be expanded upon and reused. They are much longer than new galleries.

• Key Behaviors
• flies
• diurnal diurnal
• motile motile
• sedentary sedentary
• hibernation hibernation
• social social

Home Range

They can have territories up to 20 m².

Communication and Perception

Like other social bees , eastern carpenter bees communicate using touch, vision, chemicals called pheromones, and wing vibrations. Bees communicate about the safety of the nest, where food is, and what they should do. Like other bees , eastern carpenter bees can see ultraviolet light.

• Communication Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

• Other Communication Modes
• pheromones pheromones
• vibrations vibrations

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• infrared/heat infrared/heat
• ultraviolet
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• vibrations vibrations
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Adults consume nectar from a large variety of flowers, such as the flowers of Virginia bluebells , basils , sage plants , currant bushes , American plums , and beardtongues . Eastern carpenter bees have a unique method of pollinating called "buzz pollination". They use their strong muscles to shake the pollen from the flowers. They may also "rob" flowers that they can not fit into by cutting a slit in the base and taking the nectar.

• Primary Diet
• herbivore herbivore
  • nectarivore nectarivore

• Plant Foods
• nectar

• Foraging Behavior
• stores or caches food stores or caches food

Predation

Eastern carpenter bees are preyed upon by birds like shrikes and woodpeckers . Small mammals like rodents and invertebrates like big-headed ants will feed on adults and their larvae.

Ecosystem Roles

Eastern carpenter bees are generalist pollinators and feed on a large variety of flowers. They are preyed upon by many types of birds , mammals , and, invertebrates. Male bees are territorial and may pursue insects , birds , and nonliving objects that trespass on their territory.

• Ecosystem Impact
• pollinates

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Eastern carpenter bees are generalist pollinators. They may pollinate a variety of plants, including crop plants.

• Positive Impacts
• pollinates crops

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

Eastern carpenter bees can damage wooden structures like homes, railings, fences, and buildings. Their nests may weaken and stain structures. Female bees may sting humans. Male bees may hover and dart towards humans close to their nests.

• Negative Impacts
• injures humans
  • bites or stings
  • venomous venomous

Conservation Status

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

BioKIDS Critter Catalog

Contributors

Deena Hauze (author), Animal Diversity Web Staff.

References

Barrows, E. 1983. MALE TERRITORIALITY IN THE CARPENTER BEE XYLOCOPA VIRGINICA VIRGINICA. Animal Behaviour , 31(1): 806-813. Accessed June 14, 2020 at https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-3472(83)80237-1 .

Buchman, S. 2020. "Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa spp.)" (On-line). U.S. FOREST SERVICE. Accessed June 16, 2020 at https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/carpenter_bees.shtml .

Gerling, D., H. Hermann. 1978. Biology and mating behavior of Xylocopa virginica L. (Hymenoptera, Anthophoridae). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology , 3(2): 99-111. Accessed June 14, 2020 at https://www.tau.ac.il/lifesci/departments/zoology/members/gerling/documents/30.pdf .

Grissell, E. 2017. "common name: large carpenter bees scientific name: Xylocopa spp. (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Apidae: Xylocopinae)" (On-line). Featured Creatures Entomology & Nematology. Accessed June 14, 2020 at http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/bees/xylocopa.htm .

Horridge, A. 2015. How bees distinguish colors. Eye Brain , 7: 17-34.

Richards, M. 2011. Colony Social Organisation and Alternative Social Strategies in the Eastern Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa virginica. Journal of Insect Behavior , 25: 399-411. Accessed June 14, 2020 at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-011-9265-9 .

Watmough, R. 1983. Mortality, Sex Ratio and Fecundity in Natural Populations of Large Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa Spp.). Journal of Animal Ecology , 52(1): 111-125. Accessed June 17, 2020 at https://www.jstor.org/stable/4591?seq=1 .