Carpenter
bees are found throughout the United
States. The most
common and frequently encountered are
large carpenter bees, which resemble
bumble bees. Carpenter bees have shiny
black dorsal abdomen surfaces, while
bumble bees have yellow and black hairy
abdominal surfaces.
The carpenter bee is unique because it
nests by boring holes into any dead wood
that is available, be it a house, deck,
fence, overhang, or windowsills.
Although the holes may only appear to be
a couple inches deep, they don't stop
there.
After initially boring into the wood,
the carpenter bee will make a 90 degree
turn, tunneling an additional 6 inches
to 4 feet. These tunnels serve as eggs
chambers. After the initial tunnel is
bored, they often bore many more
branches off the original. A chewing
noise may be observed several feet from
where the bees excavate their galleries.
After the nest is established, the
female carpenter bee will forage for
food. It is common to see the female
buzzing around azaleas, daffodils, and
pansies.
Male bees also hang around flowers,
although they are looking for potential
mates. If someone walks by, the male bee
will become curious and start buzzing
around the person. This often has the
appearance of an "attack"; however, male
bees have no stingers. Female carpenter
bees do have stingers, but have no
interest in stinging people.
Carpenter bees become active when
temperatures warm up to the 70s. Mating
usually occurs in April and is
accompanied by a strange “bobbing dance”
performed by the males. The females
prepare a series of brood cells in the
tunnels, providing each with food ("bee
bread" - a mixture of pollen and
nectar), an egg, and a partition of
chewed wood. Most females produce 6 to 8
young. The larvae develop from May to
August and then emerge in September. The
earliest bee to hatch must make its way
through the partition in which it is
sealed and then cut through all the
other partitions that his tunnel-mates
are in.
Despite the fact that carpenter bees
appear to eat wood, they do not.
Instead, they prefer the old bee
standby, pollen.
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