Description:
Except for the head, which is much smaller than the rest of the body, bumble bees and carpenter bees are about the same size. Contrary to Carpenter Bees, Bumble Bees have very large pollen bags on their hind legs as well as a very hairy belly with yellow patterns. The bumble bee, a social insect, constructs its underground nests and resides in colonies. Solitary, non-colonial carpenter bees are insects. Each female carpenter bee has a unique nest gallery inside the wood where her offspring develop. Although nest galleries are often found together and carpenter bees frequently share a piece of wood, each bee has a unique personality.
Appearance:
- The largest native bees in Australia are carpenter bees, which are 15 to 24 mm long.
- Female carpenter bees have glossy black abdominal and yellow thorax hair.
- Males have yellow, brown, or olive fur all over their bodies, including their heads.
Life Cycle and Habits of the Carpenter Bee:
Life cycle:
Although the length of the life cycle (egg, larvae, pupa, and adult) varies depending on temperature, it typically takes seven weeks to complete. Normally, all of the newly emerged adult bees stay in their galleries for a few weeks before chewing through the cell walls and leaving in early September to forage outside. In addition to gathering and storing ovum in the existing galleries, they also spend a lot of time simply congregating there. Since these young adults need a place to hibernate over the winter, they do so inside their old nest gallery, emerging the following spring.
- Lay eggs in a wooded tunnel.
- The entire cycle of life from egg to adult takes around seven weeks.
- Large and noisy larvae
- Late in August, fresh adults arise from the nest.
Habits:
- Late spring to mid-October is active times.
- They create tunnels in bare, wood for nesting, where they lay their eggs.
- Location – nests can be discovered near residences in the eaves, window trimmings, fascia boards, siding, decks, and outdoor furniture.
- Feeding: They consume pollen and nectar, and they store pollen in the caverns for the winter.
- Sting only when provoked