We have had numerous postings about carpenter bees, including the following:

>>      The male carpenter
>> bee has a yellow, or pale yellow, square mark on his forehead; the female
>> does not.

   Yes, female carpenter bees can sting but do not do so unless one grabs
them.  As to descriptions of the bees, one should realize that many species
exist, depending on geographic location.  In our area we seem to have only
one species.  The females are coal black and shiny.  The males are fuzzy
and a golden brown;  males set up territories and fly about in given spots.
This week I saw 5 of them hovering above yucca plants near the beach.

                                                        Adrian

Adrian M. Wenner                    (805) 963-8508 (home phone)
967 Garcia Road                     (805) 893-8062  (UCSB FAX)
Santa Barbara, CA  93106  [http://www.beesource.com/pov/wenner/index.htm]

*****************************************************
*
*    "We not only believe what we see:
*  to some extent we see what we believe."
*
*                           Richard Gregory (1970)
*
*****************************************************