The California carpenter bee, Xylocopa californica, is a species of carpenter bee in the order Hymenoptera, and it is native to western North America. Distribution There are approximately 400 species worldwide of the genus Xylocopa. X. californica is typically found in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Northwestern Mexico, with outlying records in Montana, Kansas, and Louisiana. It is especially abundant, along with X. sonorina, in the Central Valley and in Southern California, including the Mojave Desert. They are agriculturally beneficial insects and pollinators of diverse California chaparral and woodlands and desert native plant species. This carpenter bee is active during hot seasons. Therefore, they are considered an endothermic insect as it absorbs heat in the desert conditions. As the bee absorbs too much heat in its body, it has to limit the time it flies and fly in the time of day in which it is cooler. Description Their head is larger and thicker than their thorax; however, the size of the head differs between females and males. Female carpenter bees have bigger heads than males with more narrow heads. The California carpenter bee is all black, with bluish/greenish reflections. The males typically have at least a few light hairs on the pronotum (dorsal prothorax) and the abdominal segments. California carpenter bees have hair on their heads; most of their hair lays in the lower part of their head and cheeks compared to the sparse hairs on the top of the head. The female carpenter bees' hair is black, while the male carpenter bees' hair is yellow and yellowish colors. They have dark wings without stigma and are 13–30 mm long overall. Foraging behavior X. californica has been observed to rob nectar from ocotillo, Fouquieria splendens, and are determined to be their primary pollinator in the Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA. They rob the nectar from flowers by chewing a hole on the side of the flower and taking the nectar without participating in pollination. They like both nectar and pollen, except the pollen sources seem more specific; they prefer the pollen from the creosotebush (Larrea tridentata) and mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa). They tend to visit larger open flowers due to their large size. The foraging behavior consists of three movements- fast forward flight, hovering and perching or walking on the flower blossoms Floral sonication Floral sonication is essential for the foraging of many Hymenoptera.