Xylocopa varipuncta

Valley carpenter bee
Male Xylocopa varipuncta
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Apidae
Genus:	Xylocopa
Species:	X. varipuncta
Binomial name
Xylocopa varipuncta Patton, 1879

The Valley Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, is one of three species of carpenter bee found from western New Mexico to southern California. Females are a metallic black while males are fuzzy and gold with green eyes. They are the largest bees found in California, growing to around 1 inch (2.5 cm) in length.

A distinguishing characteristic that uniquely separates X. varipuncta from other species of bees is their ability to thermoregulate. This allows them to fly at very high temperatures without overheating and at low temperatures without freezing. By modifying their foraging patterns and flying between different altitudes depending upon temperature, the Valley Carpenter Bee is able to adapt to very different environments through predisposed behavioral patterns.

X. varipuncta is the largest native bee species alongside the bumble queens and are found in a diverse range of ecosystems from subtropical to temperate. The name "carpenter" comes from the fact that these bees have developed a habit of excavating inside a variety of woods. Like its close neighbor, Xylocopa virginica, X. varipuncta like to reside in fence posts and structural timbers and form small nests. Additionally, these large, hairy bees are named for the Central Valley in which they are commonly found, and for their ability to burrow into, and make their nests in, hardwood and telephone poles.

With 31 subgenera and 500 species identified under the Xylocopa genus, these set of bees are large not only size, but in number as well. Since the Xylocopa genus have varying body sizes (polymorphism) and mating systems differ across certain species, it is difficult to pinpoint the relationships among varying species.

Female carpenter bees are black and male carpenter bees are characterized by their gold cover. Excellent pollinators, the Carpenter bees are found all over the United States including valley and foothill areas. Additionally, they are not harmful and the males do not have stingers, which means they pose little harm to humans. They boast a large thoracic gland that is used to gather pheromones to attract mates, which suggests a lek is probable.

In terms of body size, X. varipuncta are 1 inch or 2.5 centimeters in length and are the largest bees found in California. Even though Carpenter Bees are good pollinators, deeper flowers are harder to access because they do not have any methods of reaching it. In order to pollinate, they use a buzzing method (grabs tube with its jaws and shakes ~100 times a second to get as much pollen as possible). As opposed to regular bumblebees, X. varipuncta has hairless abdomens while bumblebees have hairy abdomens. This characteristic allows the Carpenter Bees to break into the toughest flowers so they can pollinate them.

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Wikipedia