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Valley Carpenter Bee (male)
Xylocopa varipuncta
33.135, -117.034
Field Notes
Description:
There were at least three yellow, fuzzy, male bees with green eyes and one black female in this burrow in the tree. This species is the largest bee found in California and the eggs are the largest of ALL insect eggs. The last image shows the entire branch with the bee in the entrance of the tunnel.
Habitat:
A tunneled hole in a cut branch of an Avocado tree in the front yard. This species will "burrow into, and make their nests in, hardwood and telephone poles." "The bees tunnel through wood with their mandibles, although they do not ingest the wood in the process. The tunnels average 6 to 10 in (15 to 25 cm) in length and consist of a linear series of partitioned cells. They prefer untreated or unpainted wood. The adult bees spend the winter in the tunnels."
Notes:
They were not happy I was near their home so they flew all around me and right up to my face. The males are harmless as they don't have a stinger but are rather aggressive. They're also known as the Teddy Bear Bee.
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