Carpenter Bees – Look like a Bumble Bee on steroids (3/4”-1” long). Carpenter bees typically resemble bumblebees however depending on the species and sex, some can be a bluish-black. Either way the bodies will appear hairy.
These bees get their name from their ability to drill through wood. They are solitary insects and build nests only for themselves and feed their own young. They are able to sting multiple times as their stingers are not barbed.
Usually spotted hovering along Fascia and gutters. The female bee will bore through wood to lay eggs and protect their larvae as they develop. This can will cause severe damage to structures.
They drill (chew) in holes about the size of your pinky in trim boards once completely in they will make a right angle turn and chew galleries that can be 18” long. The holes when visible (they are fond of chewing in from the sheltered side of the wood) are unsightly. The galleries are to deposit eggs in. As the eggs develop to larvae they often attract Woodpeckers.
The males (they have a white mark on their foreheads) are the more aggressive behaving of the sexes but lack a stinger and cannot bite. The female (no white mark) has the ability to sting but is generally passive.
We treat the holes and galleries and seal what we can. We offer a 6 month warranty on the job. The warranty applies only to the structure(s) treated.
