What do wood bees look like?

Size: Wood bees are relatively large bees, ranging from 12 to 25 mm in length.

Color: Wood bees are typically black, brown, or metallic blue or green. Some species may have yellow or white markings on their bodies.

Body shape: Wood bees have robust bodies with broad heads and relatively short antennae. Their wings are long and transparent, and their bodies are covered in fine hairs that give them a fuzzy appearance.

Legs: Wood bees have long, strong legs that are adapted for clinging to wood and other surfaces. Their hind legs are particularly well-developed and are used for carrying pollen and nectar.

Nesting behavior: Wood bees are solitary bees, meaning that they do not live in colonies like honeybees or bumblebees. Instead, each female wood bee constructs her own nest, typically in a burrow in wood. The nests are lined with chewed-up wood fibers and pollen, and the female bee lays her eggs in the nest cells.

Pollination: Wood bees are important pollinators of a wide variety of plants, including many wildflowers and trees. They are particularly effective pollinators of plants with large, showy flowers that produce copious amounts of nectar.