Great carpenter bee

Xylocopa aruana

Should I report?

Great carpenter bees (Xylocopa aruana) are native to Australia. The great carpenter bee looks similar to the bumblebee but has a slightly different appearance. If you find a great carpenter bee you do not need to report it.

Description

Female great carpenter bees have a black body with a yellow band on their thorax, male great carpenter bees have a pale brown body. Both genders are hairy and appear fat, they are approximately 19-25mm in length and have no distinct abdominal banding. Compared to the introduced European bumblebee that is found in Tasmania, great carpenter bees have only one yellow band on their thorax.

Distribution

Great carpenter bees are found across all of Australia excluding Tasmania.

Benefits

Great carpenter bees are buzz pollinators playing an important role in pollination services to flowering plants in particular to species that require buzz pollination.