Species Spotlight: Carpenter Bees

Spring is here, the flowers are blooming, and so are carpenter bees. This wondrous species is unique, distinct, and often overlooked. It is a hidden gem in the bee world. Known for being black, sleek and shiny, it is easy to distinguish from familiar yellow bumblebees. Learning of carpenter bees will allow for a greater appreciation of their beauty and the importance that these pollinators play in the insect world and in ours. 

This image shows the difference between a male carpenter bee on the left vs. a male bumblebee on the right. Photo Credit: Michael F. Potter (Department of Entomology Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment - Carpenter Bees)

The carpenter bee is considered the largest native bee in the United States. They are about one inch long in size, generally larger than bumblebees, which range between 0.6 to 1 inch long. They are known for being bulky and round with thoracic (chest) muscles that allow pollen grains to stick to them. Carpenter bees and bees in general are great pollinators. Pollen is important because it helps flowers generate new seeds and produce vegetation and growth. Pollen is transported by pollinators such as the carpenter bees. They love to pollinate eggplants, tomatoes, other vegetables and flowers. Unlike honey and bumblebees, they do not have a queen bee, they have individual male and female bees. 

This image contains the anatomy of a female honey bee stinger. The venom sac will start to pump upon contact with a human’s skin to squeeze venom out by their retractor muscles and exit the canal. This area is below the abdomen area of a bee. Photo Credit: Beeprofessor - How Do Honey Bees Sting? Anatomy of the Stinger by Prudence Wood

Male and female bees are different in color. The male carpenter bees have a golden orange mark on their black bodies while a female bee is mainly all sleek black. Males have a brighter color to attract and compete for female bees. Many people stay away from bees and are afraid of them because of the stinger that contains venom and induces redness, inflammation and allergic reactions in animals and humans. Male carpenter bees cannot sting at all. It is actually only the female bees that can sting, but it is very rare because they are usually focused on building nests, though if in danger, they can sting. Female bees have a stinger because they are able to lay eggs through this physical structure, hence why male bees do not have stingers. Their stinger is actually called a modified ovipositor, an organ to lay eggs, but in certain cases of danger, it is used as a defense mechanism. The bee stinger contains histamine which is a chemical that causes blood vessels to widen and increase blood flow causing swollen tissues (inflammation), according to Mount Sinai Health Professionals. 

This image shows the life cycle of a carpenter bee. Females can live up to three years, but males will, generally, only live up to one year. The female adult will lay an egg that will then hatch into a larva and, overtime, form into a pupa. The pupa stage is where the larvae develop into adults: the development of wings, legs and eyes begins to occur in the span of 15 days. Carpenter bees are fully mature at around five months, when they are able to begin reproducing. Photo Credit: Drkilligans.com.

Carpenter bees are solitary because they do not respond to a queen that would direct males to be their worker bees or drone bees. Female behavior includes building nests and tunnels for their eggs through wood. In contrast, male carpenter bees have territorial behaviors. They will hover above nesting sites or flowers they are feeding on to defend their territory against other male bees. They act aggressively by buzzing around or diving towards any humans or male competitors that are near their site and pose a threat. Even though they act hostile to moving objects near them, they are not able to sting. When they hover over flowers or nesting sites, it can also be to find a female carpenter bee. Male carpenter bees have a lifetime of about one year. Throughout the year they are developing and pollinating until they find, and are ready to mate with a female bee. Males will die shortly after mating, therefore the nesting space that is shared with the female is short-lived. Their nests can be used for many generations of their young or other carpenter bees because they build their nests in wood, which can lead to damages in homes because they create holes. 

This mage shows a Carpenter Bee chewing through wood on a tree. Photo Credit: Newswire: carpenter bee damage

This image demonstrates how Carpenter Bees can make holes and infest homes with larvae. Photo Credit: Best Bee Brothers

Carpenter bees do not eat wood, but rather

they chew it for their nests because it is soft to them, especially when damp. Although people have complaints about their holes, they hold a great importance as pollinators. They work hard and are independent, providing shelter for their young, seeking nectar for themselves, and are one of the last pollinators to extend throughout the fall season when many are starting to prepare for colder rainy months. They lay eggs during winter seasons that will become larvae during the springtime. 

We can see how carpenter bees are tough, chewing through wood; they get their name from this. It makes them distinct to other species of bees that focus on pleasing their queen bee and working for honey. They have strong mandibles that allow them to chew through trees and weakened wood. They are also known as the termite or wood bee. Bumble and honey bees are known for having stripes and producing honey or living in hives, but when you see a black bee, think of the tough bees that dedicate their lives to building and providing for their future generations of offspring. As this spring season is blooming, think of these amazing creatures - that contribute so much to our vegetation by pollination, helping us enjoy the flowers and wonderful colors and plants we see.