Carpenter Bees- Important Pollinators by Miss Sparrow

CARPENTER BEES
by Miss Sparrow
(age 10)
Scientific name for CARPENTER BEES: XYLOCOPA
Subfamily name: XYLOCOPINAE
Notes: Some 500 species of CARPENTER BEES are in the 31 SUBGENERA.

Characteristics:
CARPENTER BEES are large,sturdy,shiny,black bees,some have yellow markings on their heads. CARPENTER BEES are also very robustly built in many ways. They may be mistaken for BUMBLE BEES.

They can damage wood in buildings by chewing holes, but I like them anyway.

They like to nest in soft,seasoned bare wood. They chew a round hole ½ inch wide, & a tunnel, it goes in a few inched then turns a sharp corner & follows the wood grain for aprox. 4 to 6 inches .

CARPENTER BEE'S holes aren't always in visible places. CARPENTER BEES do not like to chew through paint,but they don't mind stain.
The entrance of a CARPENTER BEE'S hole will have DUNG and YELLOW STAINED wood in and or around it.

They will not be much of a disturbance unless you have a large infestation over several years.

  (From Wikipedia) “The MARGINAL CELLIN the front wing is thin and stretched and the  APEX bends away from the COSTA. The front wing has a small STIGMATA. The bee's LATRUM is concealed by the short MANDIBLES when closed. The CLYPLPEAS is flat. The THORACIC MENATUM is presented upright and is part of the rear surface,and is almost PERPENDICULAR to the DORSOL surface. The BESITERS are of the same length as the associated TITIBAP,and the hind pair of BASISITARS,are HISUTE."

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 Only female CARPENTER BEES have stingers,which in a way, is UNIQUE.

Also, male CARPENTER BEES commonly have white marks on their heads.  All though they don't have FUZZY BUTTS like BUMBLE BEES.
 These bees are noisy fliers. Adult bees hatch out of they're CELL PARTITIONS in late august. They will gather food & store it in the nest before they hibernate through the winter time.
They will re-emerge in spring, mate, & die shortly after they mate.
In the nest they make a pollen ball & lay an egg on it, then make a paper wall PARTITION to keep it safe.

CARPENTER BEES are GOOD BEES because they are important pollinators, so try not to kill them, just use something like insect repellent.

To be honest, I think CARPENTER BEES are really cool,and that is coming from a ten year old ENTOMOLOGIST, who LOVES bugs! 

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http://bugguide.net/images

http://www.wefixloghomes.com/

http://ifnaturecouldtalk.com