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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps » Anthophila (Apoidea) - Bees » Cuckoo, Carpenter, Digger, Bumble, and Honey Bees (Apidae) » Carpenter Bees (Xylocopinae) » Large Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa) » California Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa californica)

Species Xylocopa californica - California Carpenter Bee

Classification · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Xylocopa californica - male Xylocopa californica diamesa - Xylocopa californica - female 7009829 Carpenter bee - Xylocopa californica - female 7008196 Carpenter Bee - Xylocopa californica - male Bee - Xylocopa californica - female California Carpenter Bee - Xylocopa californica - male
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon (Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps)
No Taxon (Anthophila (Apoidea) - Bees)
Family Apidae (Cuckoo, Carpenter, Digger, Bumble, and Honey Bees)
Subfamily Xylocopinae (Carpenter Bees)
Genus Xylocopa (Large Carpenter Bees)
Species californica (California Carpenter Bee)
Size
20-25 mm
Identification
Typical large carpenter bee, all black with some bluish/greenish reflections. Male has some lighter markings on pronotum, abdominal segment 1. Compare other Carpenter bees in range, such as X. varipuncta.
Range
Utah, Nevada, California, north to Oregon, south into Mexico.
Habitat
Forests and nearby meadows
Season
Adults fly in late summer
Print References
Milne describes life history and illustrates X. californica, p. 861, fig. 497 (1)
Powell and Hogue, p. 353--cf. X. varipuncta, fig. 457 (2)
Internet References
Discover Life
UC Riverside--page on stings, image
Works Cited
1.National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders
By Lorus and Margery Milne
2.California Insects
By Jerry A. Powell, Charles L. Hogue
Contributed by Cotinis on 7 October, 2004 - 5:13am
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Harsi S. Parker
Last updated 1 May, 2009 - 1:44am

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