A female bee will dig a tunnel in a tree or the siding of a building and create 4-6 brood cells to lay her eggs. Male carpenters are stingless and while females do have stings, they very rarely use them.Ĭarpenter bees seldom relocate. Find out more about the lifecycle and lifespan of a solitary bee.Īs a species, carpenter bees are very docile. Males often hover outside nests, flying at insects that come too close. Male vs Female Carpenter BeeĬarpenter bees are solitary, constructing a nest only for themselves and, in the case of females, for their eggs. In comparison, honeybee size is affected by rank, with the queen being the largest bee in the colony. Both male and female carpenters can be anywhere from half an inch to one inch long. There is no size hierarchy with carpenter bees. The first segment is hairless, while the lower segments of the legs are covered in fine black hairs. Their wings are translucent and appear a slightly tinted brown colour when seen in bright sunlight.Ĭarpenter bees have 6 segmented legs. While bumblebees have hairy, striped abdomens, carpenter bees have hairless, shiny abdomens. Most will have a small spot between their wings that is black and hairless. What do Carpenter Bees Look Like?Ī small number of carpenter species are often mistaken for bumblebees, as they have a very similar body size and shape.Ĭarpenters have a slightly larger and rounder heads than bumblebees and a thick band of orange-brown hairs covering their thorax – the body segment between the head and abdomen.
Here is everything you need to know about the carpenter bee. Unfortunately, as humans expand into rural areas, carpenter bees are more frequently building their nests in the sidings of homes and this can cause serious structural damage.Įveryone knows about bumblebees and honeybees, but not so much about carpenters. They are so-called thanks to their nesting behaviours carpenter bees burrow into softwood to lay their eggs.
The carpenter bee is one of over 220 solitary bee species in the UK. Last updated on July 31st, 2023 at 01:56 pm
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