Xylocopa valga

• Scientific name: Xylocopa valga
• Common name: carpenter bee
• Dimension: 22-28 mm
• Habitat: 'warm, dry places, such as vineyards, hedgerows and forest edges, with sufficient resources for nest building
• Behavior: solitary
• Collective behavior: polylectic
• Nest: 'in dead wood
• Red list of bees in Switzerland: not endangered

Interesting Facts:

Some carpenter bees, including Xylocopa valga, dig their tunnels in dry and rotting logs, preferring hardwood. It can take them up to two hours to dig just one centimeter. Their nests can be recognized from a distance by the characteristic piles of wood shavings on the ground.