Germany's wild bees: the blue-black wood bee
by Michael Watson (comments: 0
There is perhaps one good thing about climate change: due to the rising temperatures, the blue-black wood bee is spreading again in Germany. And don't worry: even though the giant blue-black wood bee buzzes menacingly loud, it is very peaceful and - in our opinion - one of the most beautiful native wild bee species.
Name | Blue-black wood bee (Xylocopa violacea) |
Size | 20-28 millimetres |
Flight time | March to October |
Occurrence | Rare |
Flower preference | Unspecialized: Butterfly plants, composite plants, labiates |
Habitat | Warm areas, orchards, natural gardens, forest edges, vineyards |
Nesting method | Nests in dead wood and self-grown cavities in dry dead wood |
The blue-black wood bee: the tame giant among wild bee
If you live in the south of Germany, you have the best chance of coming across a blue-black wood bee. As already mentioned, the wood bee loves warm, sunny weather. However, it should be said at this point that there have already been several sightings in Berlin and Brandenburg, which experts attribute to the rising temperatures.
If you come across a blue-black wood bee, you will recognize it immediately. It is very large (up to 28 millimetres) and has beautiful black-blue shimmering wings. Its head, thorax and antennae are black. Although the wood bee is so large, it is not a bumblebee, but belongs to the family of true bees (Apidae).

Nesting site and lifestyle of the blue-black wood bee
As the name suggests, the blue-black wood bee loves wood - whether dead wood, wooden beams or trees. Here, the wood bee gnaws long nesting tunnels into the wood, where it lays its eggs and supplies them with nectar and pollen. Unlike the honey bee, the blue-black wood bee is a solitary bee and does not live in a colony. For them, this means that they have to look after their own offspring.