Violet Carpenter Bee
Xylocopa violacea
This glossy black solitary bee is usually found around warm woodland edges, orchards, gardens, and weathered dead wood. It feeds at flowers for nectar and pollen, and females investigate dry timber where nests can be carved. It is not a social honeybee, so a single individual defends itself mainly by rapid flight, buzzing, and, in females, a sting if seized. Its violet-blue wings are especially conspicuous in sunlight and give the species its common name.
- Type
- Wing
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
- ?
- ?
- Violet Carpenter Bee