Carpenter Bees in Iowa & Illinois: Identification and Control

Identifying Carpenter Bees: Appearance and Characteristics

Adult carpenter bees are oval and have a very robust appearance. Depending on their exact species, they can grow to between 1/4 and 1 inch in length. Carpenter bees are black and yellow, and more often than not, they are lacking stripes. Their body is fuzzy except for their abdomen which is smooth and hairless, unlike the completely fuzzy bumble bee that they are often confused with.

Habitat of Carpenter Bees: Where to Find Them

Carpenter bees are not social insects and do not live together in large nests like other stinging insects. After emerging from their overwinter hiding spot, the adults feed and breed. The fertilized females then create nesting areas to lay their eggs. The female creates a hole the diameter of her body in the wood, and then creates tunnels where she makes a gallery to lay her eggs and to allow the larvae to develop after they hatch.

Carpenter bees create their nests in pieces of wood, preferably softwood that has not been painted or sealed or that is very old. Carpenter bee nests are commonly found in decks, porches, roof eaves, wooden playgrounds, wooden shingles, sheds, and wooden furniture around Iowa & Illinois homes. There is only one female per nest, but several females may pick the same piece of wood to nest in. This, coupled with the fact that they tend to use the same galleries for many years in a row, means that carpenter bees can do quite a bit of damage to a wooden structure that they are nesting in.

Understanding Carpenter Bee Behavior: Stinging and Aggression

Female carpenter bees have a stinger and their venom is strong enough to cause an allergic reaction in people. The good news is that the female is very docile and rarely stings unless she is being directly attacked. Males do not have a stinger, but are super aggressive and will fly and buzz around a potential threat to the nest.

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