Bionomics of the Large Carpenter Bees of the Genus Xylocopa

The first part of this review is devoted to nesting activity, flower associations, and natural enemies. In the second part, interactions between conspecific bees are discussed in relation to mating and sociality. This latter aspect is particularly timely because during the past 15 years the social structure of several species has been unraveled. In this review the authors hope to demonstrate that carpenter bees are an excellent group for the study of social behavior and that ecological constraints had an important role in the shaping of the group's evolution.