Female Valley Carpenter Bee found indoors

Subject:  Scary Black Bug that Lives in our little boys Restroom
Geographic location of the bug:  San Gabriel Valley -California
Date: 04/16/2021
Time: 10:03 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  We found a large black bug w/wings in my little boys bathroom. Came out of nowhere. My 3 year old and 7 year refuse to ever go back in the bathroom ever again. They think there may be “millions” living in the walls of the restroom. Help! Help me educate them and end the fear of the the “scary black bug”…
How you want your letter signed:  Frustrated Mommy

Dead Female Valley Carpenter Bee

Dear Frustrated Mommy,
Your request did not indicate if your found this female Valley Carpenter Bee in its present state, dead, or if it was a live flying creature when it was discovered and when it scared your boys.  We suspect the latter and we won’t lecture you on Unnecessary Carnage.  We suspect this individual found its way into the house, became disoriented, and then in the loud manner in which this species flies, it proceeded to fly clumsily indoors, buzzing loudly the entire time, and to youngsters who are often taught to fear the unknown, that experience must have been truly terrifying.  Valley Carpenter Bees are not an aggressive species, and females rarely sting.  Furthermore, this is a solitary Bee meaning there is not a nest with”‘millions’ living in the walls of the restroom.”  This species has begun flying in Southern California and Daniel began seeing females a few weeks ago, and the sexually dimorphic golden colored males which appear to be a different species, began appearing about a week ago.  Male Valley Carpenter Bees lack stingers and are incapable of stinging.  The female Valley Carpenter excavates a tunnel in dead wood, with tree stumps and telephone poles being common nest sites.  Assure your youngsters that they can use their restroom assured that there is no colony in the walls and that this luckless female Valley Carpenter Bee accidentally entered your home.

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