What are large carpenter bees and should you be concerned?

How can I identify large carpenter bees?
Eastern Carpenter bees are large bees approximately 0.75-1 inch long. The thorax, or mid-section is covered with yellow fuzz. The abdomen, or hind-section, is shiny and black. Females have a black face and a dense brush of black hairs on their hind legs. Males have a yellow face. Carpenter bees are solitary bees. Each female builds her own nest by tunneling into wood.

Carpenter bees are often mistaken for bumblebees, which are similar in size. In contrast, the bumblebee’s entire body is covered with hairs, and females have yellow patches of hair on the top of the abdomen. Bumblebees are social, living together in an underground nest.

Should I be concerned about carpenter bees?
If you observe any of the following around your home or garden, you may have carpenter bees.
• Sawdust piles below perfectly circular holes drilled into wood surfaces around your home.
• Large, shiny, black and yellow bees aggressively buzzing and flying around your head.
• Fan-shaped, yellow or moldy stains on the sides of a structure.

In addition, this valuable resource will teach you about carpenter bee’s life cycle, the types of structural wood damage they cause, and the basics of prevention and control. Learn how to keep these harmful stinging wood-destroying insects in check today!