During an inventory of pollinators in five protected areas and in the Central Plateaux of Burundi, 1489 specimens belonging to 18 species of Xylocopa Latreille were sampled. These were collected from 62 plant species divided into 23 families. Xylocopes are considered to be the best pollinators of cultivated legumes such as beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), peas (Pisum sativum), pigeon peas (Vigna unguiculata) and pigeon peas (Cajanus cajan),
with legumes accounting for 35% of protein intake in Burundi. A few ways are outlined to ensure the protection of these useful insects.