Scientific Name:  Xylocopa spp.
Order:  Hymenoptera
Family:  Apidae
Diet:  Feeds on pollen, nectar, and oils from flowering plants.
Vegetation Association:  Pollinates Desert Senna, Devil?s Claw and other flowering plants.  Can be found near blooming ocotillos.  They make their nests by chewing holes in wood.  Their burrows are lined with waxy secretions produced from glands in the abdomen.  The female forms the rounded cells and lays an egg in each one.  
Predators:   Many species of mammals, insects, birds, lizards, spiders and other arachnids.
Life Stages:  Egg, larva, pupa, adult.
Notes:  A bee stinger has developed from the egg laying tube, therefore only females sting.  Bees serve a vital role in pollination: 30% of our agricultural crops require bees for pollination. They are generally not social.  The Carpenter Bee gets its name from its ability to eat through wood with strong mouth parts.  They will chase birds and people who get too close.

Photo: to be added.

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