Valley Carpenter Bee (male)
Xylocopa varipuncta
33.135, -117.034
Field Notes
Description:
This yellow male bee has green eyes and is quite large. He was protecting the entrance to the nest which has been made from burrowing into a tree. He has tan blister-looking things on his abdomen like the female does at: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/72616354.
This species is the largest bee found in California and the eggs are the largest of ALL insect eggs. I only got one shot before the female came over and chased me away. The male is harmless but the female can give quite a large sting.
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:
More images can be seen of the male at: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/19502397
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