Both sexes of the giant resin bee are usually much longer and more cylindrical than the carpenter bee and have transparent wings with dark tips. Carpenter bees have a much rounder body with a hairy thorax and a shiny abdomen. Giant resin bees do not have this characteristic, and, although the abdomen is not hairy, neither is it shiny like that of a carpenter bee. Carpenter bees can also be mistaken for bumblebees, which they closely resemble. However, bumblebees have a characteristic hairy abdomen and usually nest in the ground.
Bees are the most important group of pollinators for agricultural and native plants.
In Japan, the main floral resource of giant resin bees is kudzu, but they also feed on crape myrtle and numerous other plants. In North Carolina and Virginia, giant resin bees have been reported to forage on golden rain tree, privet, vitex, sourwood, and catalpa. Scientists do not yet know about their food preferences here in Alabama, since none of the bees have yet been sighted or collected while foraging. Future studies by AAES researchers will focus on the impact giant resin bees have on native bees, especially carpenter bees. Since carpenter bees are known to reuse old nests, the giant resin bee will certainly be a source of competition for nesting sites.