My sister lives in Northern California and is enjoying her sunflowers she started last year from harvested seeds. Today, she was blessed with a visit from a a Valley Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa varipuncta) and shared a personal video with me. She gave me permission to share it with the Empowering Animals community. If you don't know about this beauty, here are some fascinating busy bee facts I learned. 🐝This large black bee, is often seen in California Central Valley. 🐝The Valley Carpenter Bee is the state’s largest native bee. 🐝Females are solid shiny black with dark wings and can grow close to an inch long, which is why people often mistake them for bumblebees. 🐝The males look completely different. They are fuzzy golden blond with beautiful green eyes. 🐝 They are solitary bees and do not live in hives like honeybees. 🐝 They are important pollinators for gardens and native plants. 🐝They are sometimes called “nectar robbers” because they pierce the base of tubular flowers to steal nectar without always pollinating the flower. 🐝 They nest by drilling perfectly round holes into unpainted or decaying wood like fence posts and old trees. 🐝 The males cannot sting at all. The females can sting, but are very docile and rarely do unless seriously provoked. 🐝Unlike fuzzy bumblebees, carpenter bees have a smooth shiny abdomen. Have you ever seen one of these beauties in your garden