Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps » Anthophila (Apoidea) - Bees » Cuckoo, Carpenter, Digger, Bumble, and Honey Bees (Apidae) » Carpenter Bees (Xylocopinae) » Large Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa) » Xylocopa mexicanorum
Photo#91714
Huge Bee - Xylocopa mexicanorum - female
Copyright © 2006 Loren & Babs Padelford

Huge Bee - Xylocopa mexicanorum - Female
NABA Butterfly Park, Mission, TX, Hidalgo County, Texas, USA
December 22, 2006
Size: Approximately 1 1/8"
These are the biggest bees I've ever seen. Like Bumble Bee except they were very large and all black and fuzzy. Any help with ID appreciated.

Thanks,

Loren and Babs Padelford
Bellevue, NE

Images of this individual: tag all
Huge Bee - Xylocopa mexicanorum - female Huge Bee - Xylocopa mexicanorum - female
Contributed by Loren & Babs Padelford on 2 January, 2007 - 7:26pm
Last updated 7 September, 2007 - 6:40pm

Large carpenter bee
I think the black wings are significant, but it'll take an expert to 'splain that. Meanwhile, see:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/3508/bgimage
… Ron Hemberger, 2 January, 2007 - 8:14pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2009 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.