This evening when I got home from work I was taking a few pictures in my rose garden when I heard the loud buzzing of a bee.

Recently I have been getting closeups of the rose buds on my St. Patrick rose bush as they slowly open.

The bee had a very loud droning buzz and I at first stepped back to find out where it was.

Can you see the bee in this picture?

You can see it to the left as just a golden blur.

Here is another picture from behind. If you look close you can barely see the rapidly fluttering wings.

Here is a better look at the bee. It is still a bit out of focus, but he was moving around quite a bit and just wouldn’t stop and pose.

So, how do I know that it is a he? This is a valley carpenter bee (Xylocopa varipuncta). The male of this species is gold and the female is a metallic black. I also now know that the male does not have a stinger so if he comes back for more pollinating I can try and get closer to him.

The valley carpenter bee is the largest bee in California and can be as large as an inch in length.

The male valley carpenter bee also has green eyes as you can see in this picture.

Hopefully I will see this little guy again and get some closer pictures. I just need patience once I see him and hope that he settles down on a rose bloom.

Have you seen a valley carpenter bee?

Steven