Kismo bee (Xylocopa aestuans)

Kismo bee or Lebah Kismo (Xylocopa aestuans) are carpenter bee, larvae eat honey, have yellow hair on their backs, have fat bodies, are large in size more than 2 cm long, mouth does not have mandibles and larger hind legs.

X. aestuans has a shiny black color but the back has yellow feathers with longitudinal line features, membrane and long wings, has two antennas on the head, a fat body with a large belly and a bent body posture. This insect is historically widespread in Southeast Asia.

Lebah Kismo spend most of their time in rice fields, forests and other environments that grow many flower plants. A group of X. aestuans come to each flower to eat honey where each visit lasts only a few seconds.

This bee has an important role in the ecosystem, especially as a pollinating plant. Kismo bees live socially and build nests in wooden cavities on dead trees, wood piles or people's houses.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Suborder: Apocrita
Superfamily: Apoidea
Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Xylocopinae
Tribe: Xylocopini
Genus: Xylocopa
Subgenus: Koptortosoma
Species: Xylocopa aestuans (Linnaeus, 1758)

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