Life Cycle of Carpenter Bees

Carpenter bees are interesting insects, and they get their name carpenter for a reason. These bees drill holes into wood for shelter and nesting. The carpenter bee is similar to a bumblebee in many ways, but they look very different.

  1. Region of Carpenter Bee

    • Carpenter bees are in the Anthophoridae family (see Reference 1). There are 730 species of carpenter bees throughout the world, and they tend to live where there is wood and plants. The bees are usually out and about in the spring and summer.

    Description of Carpenter Bees

    • The carpenter bee is much larger and differs in color from the bumblebee. Carpenter bees can be almost one inch long, and they have a bluish-black body that is metallic (see Reference 2). The male carpenter bees often have hairs on their bodies that are yellow, brown or yellowish-brown (see Reference 1).

    Life Cycle of a Carpenter Bee

    • Carpenter bees go through their whole life cycle in seven weeks (see Reference 3). The bees start as an egg, transform into the larva, then they become pupa, and finally the carpenter bees become adult bees.

    Survival of Carpenter Bees

    • Carpenter Bees drill tiny holes into wood, creating tunnels. These tunnels are where the carpenter bees nest and hibernate. The tunnels the bees drill have chambers in which they store the egg and pollen for food. There is usually only one generation that lives in the tunnels per year (see Reference 2).

    Carpenter Bees' Effects on the Environment

    • Carpenter bees are helpful to the environment because they help pollinate various crop and noncrop plants (see Reference 2). They are also harmful because they damage wood on homes, buildings and trees.

    Avoiding Carpenter Bees

    • To prevent carpenter bees infestation, fill any cracks in the wood around your home. Fill any unoccupied holes on your home or business with caulk so the bees can't make tunnels in the wood. People can also avoid bees by spraying insecticides (see Reference 2). Also like most bees, the male carpenter bee cannot sting, however female bees will sting if provoked.