Appearance
The male bees are golden brown in color and lack a stinger; Females are large and black, with a length of approximately 1 inch. The female can sting if angry but she is considered shy. While she looks impressive, "X. sonorina" rarely stings humans. Carpenter bee venom is composed of proteins which can produce allergies; Some individuals must be stung in at least two separate instances before an allergic reaction develops. It is unknown if people allergic to honeybee venom are also allergic to carpenter bee venom.Smith first described the species in a monograph published by the Entomological Society of London in 1874:
Female.—Black; head and thorax closely and moderately punctured; the mesothorax smooth, impunctate and shining on the disk; metathorax rounded behind; abdomen shining rather finely punctured, most closely so at the sides above; the pubescence entirely black, except that on the anterior tarsi beneath, which is ferruginous; the claws of the tarsi ferruginous; wings fusco-hyaline, with a darker cloud beyond the enclosed cells, and adorned with a bright purple and coppery iridescence. Length ten to eleven lines.
"Hab."—Sunda Islands.
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