Xylocopa (Lestis) aerata
4 Metallic Green Carpenter Bee, Golden-Green Carpenter Bee at Chapman, ACT
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| Xylocopa (Lestis) aerata | MichaelMulvaney | 8 Apr 2026 | |
| Xylocopa (Lestis) aerata | HaukeKoch | 8 Apr 2026 |
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Significant sighting
MichaelMulvaney noted:
8 Apr 2026
A locally rare species, only occasionally recorded outside of the Australian National Botanic Gardens
User's notes
Female, nectar robbing. Pleasant surprise visitor to our garden. Maybe a young female dispersing?
8 comments
8 Apr 2026
A new flower host. Interesting behaviour among a range of different bee species especially on tubular flowers with deep nectaries such as Correas.
8 Apr 2026
The life cycle of MGCB in the ACT, mostly based on records from ANBG, is not well understood. Adults appear in late spring, the males first. Some may be immigrants but in some years they may emerge from local nests. The females are long lived and collect pollen and nectar to store in cells in their 'nests' that are tunnels in soft wood. No nests have ever been found in ANBG. Observations from Kangaroo Island show that the larvae develop over summer and pupate in autumn and young adults emerge in the nest in winter but do not normally emerge till the following spring. So the appearance of a young adult at this time is a mystery.
9 Apr 2026
Thanks for the details, Roger. I don't know if this a young female, of course, but there seem to be no signs of wing wear. There are old Banksia trees in some gardens in the neighbourhood, so perhaps there is a slim chance they could nest here. I'll keep more of an eye out for them now.
9 Apr 2026
Presumably the same female returned to the same bush today: Xylocopa (Lestis) aerata (Metallic Green Carpenter Bee, Golden-Green Carpenter Bee)
9 Apr 2026
Thanks Michael, I think it is Abelia x grandiflora. Had added it to the record as associated plant.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.045975-35.362281
- Altitude 658.3m
- Places Chapman, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 8 Apr 2026 01:58 PM Recorded on
- HaukeKoch Recorded by
- Abelia x grandiflora Associated plant
- 12mm to 25mm Animal size
Collections
- HaukeKoch NatureMapr Canberra & Southern Tablelands Xylocopa (Lestis) aerata Significant ACT Most Wanted! Bees (Hymenoptera, Apiformes) Insects
Species information
- Xylocopa (Lestis) aerata Scientific name
- Metallic Green Carpenter Bee, Golden-Green Carpenter Bee Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Rare or uncommon native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 781.8m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
Record quality
Quality score
6 / 7
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