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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Apoidea (clade Anthophila) - Bees » Cuckoo, Carpenter, Digger, Bumble, and Honey Bees (Apidae) » Carpenter and Small carpenter Bees (Xylocopinae) » Large Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa) » Subgenus Neoxylocopa (Xylocopa Subgenus Neoxylocopa) » Valley Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa sonorina)
Photo#490923
Unknown - Xylocopa sonorina - male
Copyright © 2011 rhino1

Unknown - Xylocopa sonorina - Male
Rancho Mirage CA, USA, California, USA
February 13, 2011
Size: 3-4 inches
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by rhino1 on 13 February, 2011 - 9:12pm
Last updated 18 February, 2011 - 10:23am

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… Charley Eiseman, 18 February, 2011 - 10:23am login or register to post comments

this is a male the female is black
Valley Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa varipuncta)
funny how alike the 2 pics are!
… Edna Woodward, 13 February, 2011 - 9:14pm login or register to post comments

 
Similar behavior, similar image
Male carpenter bees are very territorial. If you're close enough to get a picture, you're likely to be the focus of their attention while they decide whether you're a threat to their territory.

Once they decide you're not worth driving off, they start moving around to patrol their territory, which makes it harder to get a good image. The result: most decent aerial images are of the male checking out the photographer.
… Chuck Entz, 14 February, 2011 - 1:49am login or register to post comments

 
And bloody
difficult, even then! I bet I have hundreds of discarded attempts at patroling carpenter bees, so congrats on this shot.
… Tim Lethbridge, 14 February, 2011 - 4:43pm login or register to post comments

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