This angle provides the necessary protection for her larvae. The female turns at a right angle to drill along the grain of the wood after the tunnels reach about one inch deep. The female carpenter bees drill perfectly round holes (about half an inch) into pithy stems of plants and wood, typically against their grain alignment. They have a preference for raw, unpainted, or old softwoods in particular cedar, pine, cypress, and redwood. There is a common misconception that carpenter bees eat wood, but they actually excavate it using their sharp strong mandibles, leaving sawdust deposits beneath their nest’s entrance. There are numerous effective ways of controlling the carpenter bee, with the most widespread measures being lethal to the bees. These gentle bees do not intend to be pests – their behavior of nesting in siding, eaves, or decks made of wood frequently puts them at odds with homeowners. Unlike the numerous carpenter bee species which damage wooden structures, some carpenter bees pick softer substrates to build nests such as old logs, pithy stems of plants, and untreated redwood. However, their contribution to human and animal food security by pollination far outweighs any structural damage.Īccording to Bumblebee Conservation Trust (2020). If you would like to know more about the dangers of carpenter bees to your property check out this article we have written, How Do Carpenter Bees Drill Holes? It’s Worse Than You ThinkĬarpenter bees are however more than just their nesting behaviors, the little black bees play an integral role in their local ecology, particularly in the pollination process.įor instance, roof eaves are usually unpainted on areas that face the house, which is invisible from the front side, making it a very attractive home for the carpenter bee to set up shop. Drilling in wooden structures to build their nests is less than ideal if it ends up being a piece of furniture, or your home. Regardless of their “handy” name homeowners consider carpenter bees as troublesome due to their fondness for piercing and burrowing in wood. While female carpenter bees administer a painful sting if deliberately provoked, their male counterparts, much like honey bees, do not have stingers. You can see the large compound eyes and the males have the white mark on their faces.Ĭarpenter bees are solitary young bees that develop from the same nest separate as adults and only share a nest when mating. This is a great close-up of a male carpenter bee’s face.
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