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Carpenter Bees: Xylocopa
Carpenter bees resemble large bumblebees, but have very different nesting behavior. They bore long tunnels into wood and divide these tunnels into cells where individual larvae will develop. Carpenter bees are black in color and marked with areas of yellow hair.
The typical carpenter bee gallery has an entrance hole on the wood surface. The gallery continues inward for a short distance, then turns sharply upward and runs in the same direction as the grain of the wood. The female provisions the galleries by inserting a ball of pollen upon which the egg is laid. Live prey such as insects or spiders are not used. The female then closes the cell by placing a mass of wood pulp in the gallery. A series of cells are made as the bee works backwards, out of the gallery. Females often enlarge existing galleries, or use old ones.
Unpainted or well-weathered wood is much more susceptible to attack then hardwood or well-painted timbers. Some of the more common sites include siding, eaves, wooden shakes, porch ceilings, windowsills, doors, etc.
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