Carpenter bees are common insects that frequent gardens and wooden structures. Understanding their biology and behavior clarifies this misconception, shedding light on their distinct roles within ecosystems and differentiating them from other bee species, particularly honey bees.
Do Carpenter Bees Produce Honey?
Carpenter bees do not produce honey in the way honey bees do. Unlike highly social honey bees that live in large colonies and store honey as a primary food source, carpenter bees are largely solitary or semi-social insects. They collect nectar and pollen from flowers, but they use these resources directly to feed themselves and provision their offspring, rather than converting them into honey for long-term storage. The nectar provides energy for the adult bees, while a mixture of pollen and nectar, called “bee bread,” serves as the food supply for their developing larvae.
The Life and Habits of Carpenter Bees
Carpenter bees derive their name from their nesting behavior, which involves boring into wood. Female carpenter bees excavate tunnels in softwoods like pine, cedar, or redwood, creating galleries up to 10 feet. These tunnels serve as nurseries for their young. Within these wooden galleries, the female bee partitions off individual cells, each containing a single egg laid on a mass of bee bread.
Adult carpenter bees typically overwinter in existing tunnels and emerge in spring to mate. While often solitary, some species exhibit a simple social structure where a mother and her daughters may cohabit, or multiple females might share foraging and nesting duties. These bees play an important role as pollinators, visiting various flowering plants, and are known for “buzz pollination,” a technique where they vibrate their flight muscles to release pollen from certain flowers.
Distinguishing Carpenter Bees from Honey Bees
Differentiating carpenter bees from honey bees is straightforward. Carpenter bees are generally larger, measuring about 0.75 to 1 inch in length, compared to honey bees which are typically around 0.5 to 0.6 inches. A primary visual distinction lies in their abdomens: carpenter bees usually have a shiny, hairless black abdomen, while honey bees possess fuzzy, striped abdomens with golden-brown bands. This difference in abdominal hairiness is a reliable identifier.
Their social structures and nesting habits also vary significantly. Honey bees are highly social, living in large colonies within complex wax comb hives. They produce and store honey as a communal food source. In contrast, carpenter bees are solitary or semi-social, with females constructing individual nests by tunneling into wood. While male carpenter bees may appear territorial, they lack stingers, whereas female carpenter bees can sting but typically do so only if provoked.