Family Apidae > Genus Xylocopa
Xylocopa virginica visiting Vaccinium.
Xylocopa
Large Carpenter Bees
In Minnesota, there is one described species within the genus Xylocopa —Xylocopa virginica. It is not known whether there are established populations of Xylocopa virginica from a range expansion into Minnesota or if nests in wood were transported into the state by human means. One female was collected in 1969 and a second in 2016 during surveys. In 2025, a male was photographed in Ramsey County. In the past fifteen years, Xylocopa virginica has expanded its eastern United States range northward into southern Ontario and northwest into Wisconsin. This large (bumble bee-like) carpenter bee nests in aboveground cavities in wood excavated by females. Females often reuse or expand existing nests in lieu of excavating new cavities.
Xylocopa virginica ranges from 17-23 mm (0.67-0.91") in length. It has a broad black head, dark wings, and yellow or amber hairs on the thorax and first abdominal segment (tergite). The rest of the abdomen is black, shiny, and relatively hairless. Males have a cream or light yellow clypeus and bulging gray-green compound eyes. Females have dark compound eyes and collect pollen on hairs on the hind leg tibia and basitarsus. This bee species has a very long forewing marginal cell and a hind wind jugal lobe.
Male and female carpenter bees overwinter as adults and emerge in spring. Males typically emerge prior to females, establish a territory near the emergence site, then wait for females to emerge. After mating, females either reuse an existing cavity in wood or excavate a new cavity. For new nest excavations, they initially create a hole perpendicular to the wood grain, then curve the burrow to run parallel with the wood grain. Wood structures such as sheds or fence posts are common places for females to establish nests, particularly in untreated wood. Tree stumps or standing dead trees are common sites in natural habitats.
Xylocopa virginica can have either solitary or social nests. In social nests, the primary egg-laying female performs much of the foraging and brood-provisioning tasks. Non-reproductive females guard the nest. Spring nest foundresses often die by summer so another reproductive female assumes the egg-laying role.
wing
position
on flowers
1
no. species
in mn
size range
Phenology
Note: Projected Minnesota phenology - modeled after Wisconsin phenology.
Genus/Species Characteristics
NatureServe State Conservation Status
male
Males with white or cream clypeus and bulging gray-green compound eyes.
female
Broad black head, dark wings, dark yellow or amber hairs on thorax and first tergite (T1); shiny black abdomen.
female
Females with dark eyes.
female
Broad black head, dark spot on thorax, pollen-collecting hairs on hind leg tibia and basitarsus.
Distribution
Minnesota
Portman et al (2023)
Regional Map
Xylocopa virginica subsp. virginica in GBIF Secretariat (2023). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2025-06-25.
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Apidae
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and allies
Citations and Further Reading
Droege, S., Shumar, S., & Maffei, C. (2024). The Very Handy Bee Manual (2.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12812755
Portman, Z. M., Gardner, J., Lane, I. G., Gerjets, N., Petersen, J. D., Ascher, J. S., ... & Cariveau, D. P. (2023). A checklist of the bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of Minnesota. Zootaxa, 5304(1), 1-95.
Tripodi, A. D., & Szalanski, A. L. (2011). Further Range Extension of Xylocopa micans Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 84(2), 163-164.
Wilson, J. S., & Messinger Carril, O. J. (2016). The bees in your backyard: a guide to North America's bees. Princeton University Press.
Page Photography Credits
Heather Holm
Joel Gardner CC BY-ND-NC 1.0 (Melittidae)
Steve Mlodinow CC BY-NC 4.0 (Brachymelecta)
Angella Moorehouse (Xylocopa virginica)
Michelle Orcutt CC-BY-NC 4.0​ (Epimelissodes female)