carpenter bee, (genus Xylocopa), any of a genus of about 400 species of bees that are found in most areas of the world. Like most bees, carpenter bees do not produce honey, and they do not sting unless provoked. Although bees in Xylocopa are often considered pests because of their tunneling in structural wood such as that of buildings and fences, they are also important native pollinators that coevolved with the flowering plants in the areas in which they live. This makes them well adapted to the climates, flower structures, and other ecological relationships in their habitats, and it makes them essential to the perpetuation of many wild species.
See also list of ants, bees, and wasps.