![]() Nectar robbing is not uncommon in bee species. However, they are less beneficial as pollinators for some tubular flowers, and possibly blueberries, if they engage in nectar robbing. They note that Xylocopa species are especially important pollinators in the deserts, and that they are valuable pollinators of crops such as passion fruit, Brazil nuts, cotton and tomatoes ( Xylocopa are used in greenhouses in Australia, and ensure heavier fruits). The authors of The Bees In Your Backyard, Wilson & Messinger Carril, state that because of their body sizes, Xylocopa can carry 'enormous' bushels of pollen, and that they are good pollinators of many flowers. Are Carpenter Bees ( Xylocopa) Good Pollinators? For more information on carpenter bee biology and management, download this K-State publication Structural Pests: Carpenter Bees.Violet Carpenter Bee Key differences between bumble bees and carpenter beesĬarpenter bees are known for their nesting habits which sometimes involves chewing tunnels into wood.īumble bees either make their nests in pre-existing holes and crevices, or on top of grassy tufts.Īs seen in the photographs above, the abdomen of large carpenter bees is often shiny, whereas the whole body of the bumble bee is furry (although some cuckoo species are less hairy, and hairs may be lost on aged, bedraggled bumble bees). ![]() While carpenter bees are not social bees, populations may build up in favorable locations and over years of repeated excavating, can weaken structural wood. The next generation of adults typically does not become active until the following spring. The larvae feed on these provisions throughout the summer, and then pupate. These females will then excavate new holes or extend established ones located in older, untreated, unpainted wood where they provision cells with nectar and pollen and then deposit eggs. This dive bombing behavior will continue until all the new females have mated, then the males will die and the noticeable activity will cease. These males cannot sting they are just very territorial because they are waiting for a female bee to emerge from one of the holes in the wood so they can mate with her. It is the males that are buzzing intruders and they can be distinguished by their ‘bald faces’ which appear to have a yellow triangle in the middle of a black face. But, if you have large black and yellow bees hovering around any wooden structures and they are "dive bombing" or buzzing around people who have intruded into their area, i.e. Most folks do not want to get close enough to any large bee to make these distinctions, and they are even more difficult to distinguish when they are flying. Carpenter bees thus have shiny, dark blue to black abdomens while most bumble bees have hairy yellow abdomens. However, carpenter bees, even though they are about the same size and fly at about the same speed, have bare abdomens while bumble bees have hairy abdomens. These large (3/4 to 7/8 inch) black and yellow bees are most often mistaken for bumble bees. ![]() Return to Natural Resources Agent ArticlesĬarpenter Bees are most very active in the spring.
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