S & W Pest Management Inc : Insect Guide

Pest Guide » Stinging and Biting » Carpenter Bees :

Carpenter Bees
Xylocopa species
Color: Blue-black, green or purple sheen on abdomen
Legs: Six
Shape: Oval; bee shape
Size: 1"
Antennae: Yes
Flight: Yes

Although they buzz, hover and look like bumble bees, carpenter bees are very much different in habit. Unlike bumble bees, which have hairy (usually yellow and black) abdomens, carpenter bees have hairless, shiny blue-black abdomens. and do not have pollen baskets on their hind legs.

Carpenter bees are solitary bees, and although capable of delivering a sting, female carpenter bees will only sting if prodded and provoked. Male carpenter bees (which have a menacing habit of buzzing about a person's head) do not have a stinger and, therefore, are harmless.

But these bees are not harmless. They bore round holes into wood trim near eaves and gables of homes, facia boards, porch ceilings, outdoor wooden furniture, decks, railings, fence posts, telephone poles, siding, shingles, dead tree limbs and other weathered wood.

Initial damage is minor, but new tunnels may be excavated and old ones enlarged, causing considerable wood damage. Infestations are usually first detected by finding large amounts of sawdust droppings on the ground below the area being drilled or by observing bees going in and out of the round, circular holes in the wood affected.

They may refurbish an existing tunnel instead of boring a new one or new tunnels may be constructed near old ones with infestations persisting for several years.

Prevetion:

Be sure that wood is sealed with a uniform coating of paint, varnish or other sealant to prevent easy access
If possible, remove and replace damaged wood with chemical pressure-treated wood.

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