
So, we're chucking the tennis ball around for T-dog and Betty has me run and get the camera. We've seen lots of honey bees and plenty of your standard mil-spec black and yellow bumble bees, but this was a new one on us. Betty, who likes to name things, animate and inanimate has dubbed this fine beast, "Oscar."
If my Googling chops are suffering good karma, this might be a
Bombus fervidus (Fabricius) (assuming that the name submitted for blessing by the ESA went through back in '07).
[NOTE: updated 9-Jun-08 --
My Google-fu has failed me on this one. Here's a photo of the fervidus:
and, while it certainly has less black, it's not what we saw.
So, being desirous of a more formal name than, "Oscar," I'll propose Bombus festivus (a bug for the rest of us!)]
[Second update (9-jun-08): The Google-fu chi returns!
I found our friend, a form of carpenter bee known as Xylocopa varipuncta here, with this nice photo:

OK -- the search appears done, but feel free to drop us a comment... we're pretty amazed with the printed-circuit look to the face (and the fact the picture came out halfway decently).