Carpenter bees (Xylocopinae subfamily) are important pollinators, especially of open-faced flowers, though they are also known to "rob" nectar by boring holes in the sides of flowers with deep corollas (thus not accomplishing pollination). The smaller species tunnel into pithy stems to build their nests. Other species bore holes in wood and can become pests in wood construction.
The remaining Xylocopinae are small, slender bees that nest in pithy stems.
Most Xylocopinae are basically solitary, although long-lived, so that several adults are often found in a nest; some Old World species of the Xylocopinae, however, form small eusocial colonies.
This family differs from all other bees in that the pollen brush, which is restricted to the hind leg, is reduced to a row of long hairs surrounding a smooth space on the tibia.
Xylocopinae are unique in that they store food for the adults to feed on.
The bees in the Xylocopinae make their homes in pithy stems, or they will chew into wood to create chambered or nonchambered nests.
The adult bees are either female or male; there is no specific worker class, although young adults stay with their mother for a period of time, often until they are mature.
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