12/10/2023 0 Comments Black bee biteThey are hardy, continuing to work even in the triple digits. With the overabundance of Africanized bees-and how actively people are eliminating them-carpenter bees may have much pollinating work to do in the future.īlack bees are a primary pollinator in the desert landscape. Lest you think that carpenter bees are only about harming your home, remember that they are, after all, bees. Given enough time and cycles of birth, your home could certainly be at risk. But often, the young females return to where they were born and create more tunnels for their eggs. One of these solitary bees boring into your rafters wouldn’t be an issue. Black bees prefer old, unfinished wood, but they will bore into painted wood if the paint is chipping. They don’t eat the wood they bore into it. While not as invasive as carpenter ants or termites, carpenter bees do cause damage to wood structures. As the baby black bees emerge, they eat through the pollen and are off to start their lives. She continues the process, making little apartments of eggs, all of which are separated by pollen and sawdust. After laying her eggs, the female will gather a ball of pollen and sawdust from her excavation to fill the hole in the wood. In an almost-perfect circle nest of sorts. She will lay her eggs, about 10” deep into the wood. Instead, the female will “drill” a hole into yucca or agave tree–and even dead tree trunks, limbs, and firewood. Habits of Black Beesīlack bees such as these are solitary and don’t tend to gather and colonize. They can range from 8 mm to 25 mm in length, so their size should give them away. The black bees are also larger than typical bumblebees. Upon closer inspection, you will find a little yellow behind the neck of the bee, but from a distance, they will appear to be solid black. They are mostly black with parts that look polished or metallic. The ones you’re most likely to encounter are the mountain carpenter bee and valley carpenter bee.Īll types of carpenter bees look similar. Types of Carpenter BeesĬarpenter bees are common in Arizona in fact, we have many species in the Grand Canyon State. Let’s learn a little more about them and how you can avoid any problems. Have you seen bees around your home that don’t look like the traditional black and yellow color of bumblebees? Instead, they’re almost fully black? These black bees are carpenter bees and, similar to carpenter ants, they may be up to no good around your home.
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