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
Food
The Hosts section on its
Discover Life species page lists known associations based on specimen records and images.
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
University of California Riverside —
page on stings and
color photo (Web Archive)