Xylocopa latipes

Carpenter bees mate on-the-wing. Males grasp the females in flight and place their front or middle legs, which have fringes of long setae, over the compound eyes of their mate. It is thought that the dilated front legs of males of some species of carpenter bees collect and trap oils and odours that function during mating. Xylocopa latipes are considered multivoltine as they can have more than two generations per year but this depends on the availability of floral resources in their habitat. ==Nesting==

In Malaysia, broad-handed carpenter bees often choose useful structural woods as nesting sites, as they are able to burrow through it with their powerful mandibles. Broad-handed carpenter bees construct multiple galleries (3 - 5) of about 11 cm in length and 2.1 - 2.3 cm in diameter. Broad-handed carpenter bees choose dead wood, pithy stems and bamboo culms for nesting. ==Role in Pollination==

Carpenter bees are used commercially in the Philippines to pollinate passion-fruit flowers. They naturally perform the same function in Indonesia and Malaysia and the rest of Southeast Asia. In addition, passion-fruit flowers (Passiflora edulis flavicarpa) have been found to bloom in synchrony with carpenter bee foraging rhythms, indicating an evolving relationship. ==References==