Horse-fly Carpenter

The Horse-fly Carpenter (Xylocopa tabaniformis) is a bee in the family Apidae, found in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This species is one of three members of the Xylocopa genus found at garden sites in California. Xylocopa californica and Xylocopa sonorina are also common.

Its flight season is year-round, with peak flight activity from March into August.

Horse-fly carpenter bees are solitary and long-lived. They overwinter in groups, drilling nests into soft or decaying wood or pithy stems.