Carpenter bees are interesting creatures. They are often mistaken for bumble bees as they look similar to bumbles in size and coloring. Carpenter bees however are a very different type of bee.
Carpenter bees are large black and yellow colored bees. The male bees are commonly seen hovering around their nesting sites which are typically located in deck railing, wood siding, roof eaves, and sometimes decaying wood. Carpenter bees prefer to build their nest in sound wood that is unpainted or unstained, but any wood source can be inhabited by carpenter bees.
Adult carpenter bees overwinter in the nest that they were born in. Once spring arrives, the male bees typically emerge first then the females will follow. The bees spend the next several weeks feeding on plant nectar. Females return to nesting sites where they clean out and reconstruct the tunnels and galleries that they will use for their eggs. The male carpenter bee spends most of its time out of the nest warning intruders to stay away. Along with the gallery preparation, the female will also prepare a pollen ball which is deposited with each egg before its section is sealed off. Each pollen ball feeds the larvae until it is fully developed. Each female will lay approximately 6 or 7 eggs depending on how long the length of the tunnel is.
Within a few weeks of laying the eggs, the adult carpenter bees will die off. It will take about 5 to 7 weeks for their offspring to reach adulthood. Once their development is complete, new adult carpenter bees will emerge from the nest. The new bees will feed upon pollen and live in the tunnels that their ancestors drilled out before them. As winter approaches, the carpenter bees will overwinter inside of the tunnels awaiting the warmth of spring.
One carpenter bee will not cause structural damage, but continued use and drilling on wood sources from carpenter bees can be very problematic. Additionally, carpenter ants are attracted to areas of wood that is damaged by carpenter bees report Monmouth County, NJ pest control professionals.