General: California Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa californica) are large bumblebee-like bees that are not covered with dense hairs. Female carpenter bees chew into wood forming galleries where they store food and lay eggs. Males often patrol outside the burrows driving away other males and hoping for a chance to mate.

Taxonomy: Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies), Family Apidae (Cuckoo, Carpenter, Digger, Bumble, and Honey Bees), Subfamily Xylocopinae (Carpenter Bees), Large Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa).