Valley Carpenter Bee
Xylocopa sonorina
There are over 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The valley carpenter bee is one of the largest bees found in California and Hawaii. reaching about an inch in length, they are known for their females having a shiny black metallic look while the males are most commonly described as looking like a teddy bear of a bee. The females are considered non aggressive and normally do not sting unless provoked. While males lack a stinger.
Although I didn’t get to see this bee at a stand still, it was a larger bee and looked metallic black almost like a metallic black bumble bee.
This particular one decided to harass me and follow me for about a half a mile hike back to my car. Buzzing around me getting close to my head and my phone. I thought I lost it when I followed the trail through dense chaparral as I was surrounded by manzanita trees and the like, but once I emerged on the other side, it quickly descended upon me and continued to fly around my head. It was nice enough not to sting me.
- Number of confirmed specimens : 1+
- Number of pictures : 1
References
Carpenter bee, Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 March 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpenter_bee. Accessed 01, May 2026
Xylocopa sonorina, Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Oct 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylocopa_sonorina. Accessed 01, May 2026