Ken provides horticulture programming with an emphasis on fruit and vegetable production, pest management, and beneficial insects. Ken Johnson is a Horticulture Educator with University of Illinois Extension, serving Calhoun, Cass, Greene, Morgan, and Scott counties since 2013. Signup for our emails! Want to get notified when new Good Growing posts are available? SIGN ME UP Subordinate females may help defend the nest or bide their time until they become the dominant female the following year. These groups have a dominant female who lays eggs and forages for food. Good Growing Fact of the Week : While originally considered solitary, some carpenter bees may nest together when resources are scarce. If you want to try attracting carpenter bees, offer alternative nesting areas, such as tree stumps (with bark removed) and logs. They will pollinate a variety of different flowers, particularly large open-faced flowers such as sunflowers, coneflowers, and asters. The surface should be painted or varnished, which will discourage subsequent nests from carpenter bees.ĭespite the problems they may cause, carpenter bees are beneficial insects to have around. Make sure to read and follow all label directions.Ī week or so after treatment, the holes should be plugged (caulk, wood putty, or wooden dowels) to prevent them from being used again. Individual tunnel openings can be treated with an insecticidal spray or dust. The best time to treat is in the spring when bees are first being observed. If you feel you need to get rid of existing carpenter bees, insecticides can be used. If wood has been damaged, it can be replaced with painted wood or a non-wood substitute (composite, vinyl, aluminum, etc.). Carpenter bees find painted surfaces less attractive than raw wood. If you are unsure if a bee is male or female, look at its face, male bees have a whiteish spot on their faces.īefore carpenter bees become a problem, you can deter nesting by painting or varnishing exposed wood. However, they are not aggressive, but if handled, they may sting. They will aggressively defend their territory from intruders, whether it be other male carpenter bees, pets, or people.įortunately for us, male bees lack a sting and are incapable of stinging (it’s all a show). They will establish territories near nests and flowers and patrol them. Male carpenter bees can also be a nuisance in the spring. Additionally, the holes in the wood can allow moisture to get in, potentially leading to rot and decay. On some occasions, though, if the tunnels get large enough (used for several years), or if there are multiple nests built in the same piece of wood (over several years), it may compromise the structural integrity of the wood, and it will need to be replaced. Typically, carpenter bee holes don’t cause serious structural damage. Woodpeckers may also damage wood in search of the bee larvae. In addition to unsightly holes, the bees will defecate before they enter their tunnels, which can stain surfaces beneath the holes. The primary problem with carpenter bee nesting is cosmetic. Unlike some other insects, like termites, they do not feed on the wood, they are simply excavating it to create a nest. However, they prefer soft woods like pine, fir, redwood, and cedar. They will use many species of dried, seasoned wood. What’s the problem?Ĭarpenter bees get a bad name because they build their nests in wood, often in outdoor wood structures such as decks or the eaves of homes. They will feed and then go back into the tunnels to overwinter. The eggs will hatch, and the larvae will feed and pupate new adults will emerge in August or September. A female usually produces 6 to 8 chambers in newly excavated nests. Each egg will be sealed off into individual chambers using a combination of wood pulp and saliva. She will tunnel straight into the wood before making a 90-degree turn and burrowing with the grain of the wood (easier to excavate compared to burrowing perpendicular to wood grain).įemales will lay eggs in the tunnels and provide them with bee bread (a mixture of pollen and nectar). If a female starts constructing a new tunnel, she chews a nearly perfect circle about ½ inch in diameter. Afterward, the females will either enlarge existing tunnels or begin to build new tunnels. Come spring (April and May), they will emerge and mate. Carpenter bees will over winter in tunnels as young adults.
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