Horse-Fly Carpenter Bee

Horse-Fly Carpenter Bee

Xylocopa tabaniformis

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Sacramento

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

1,848 Verified sightings at Sacramento
39 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Horse-Fly Carpenter Bee

Xylocopa tabaniformis, the horsefly-like carpenter bee or mountain carpenter bee is a species of carpenter bee in the family Apidae. It is found in Central America, North America, and South America. It is 12–18 millimetres (15⁄32–23⁄32 in) long and black. Males have yellow hair on the thorax.

Xylocopa tabaniformis tabaniformis Smith, 1854 Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
2 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
5 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
2 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
~20%
4 Toluca 🇲🇽 México
~20%
5 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 San Antonio 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Houston 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 San Luis Potosí 🇲🇽 México
~10%
10 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Horse-Fly Carpenter Bee in Sacramento?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Horse-Fly Carpenter Bee sighting in Sacramento on a given day, based on 1,848 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 386 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Horse-Fly Carpenter Bee in Sacramento?

June to August

In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Horse-Fly Carpenter Bee in Sacramento on a given day, against about 10% in December and January, the lowest months. Those are among Sacramento's driest months, with almost no rain against 120 mm in December.

What time of day is best to see a Horse-Fly Carpenter Bee?

Between 5 and 8 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Horse-Fly Carpenter Bee sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Sacramento the best place to see a Horse-Fly Carpenter Bee?

Yes

Of the 15 cities where we can rate Horse-Fly Carpenter Bee sightings, Sacramento has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Salt Lake City (United States, about 20%) and Mexico City (México, about 20%).

Where does the Horse-Fly Carpenter Bee sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Horse-Fly Carpenter Bee is recorded against all the insects logged in Sacramento (1,848 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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