Carpenter bees overwinter as adults, often inside old nest tunnels. They emerge in April and May with the males usually the first to appear. Males can be distinguished from females by a whitish spot on the front of the face. The males do not have stingers, but they are territorial and will harass other bees and people who venture near their protected areas. Females can sting, but rarely do so unless confined in your hand or are highly agitated. They feed on plant nectar, then begin constructing new tunnels in a few weeks.
The entrance holes start upward (or inward) for about one-half inch or more, then turn horizontally and follow the wood grain. The galleries typically run six to seven inches, but may exceed one foot.
Occasionally, several bees use the same entrance hole, but they have individual galleries branching off of the main tunnel. If the same entrance hole is used for several years, tunnels may extend several feet in the wood. Inside her gallery, the female bee gradually builds a large pollen ball which serves as food for her offspring. She deposits an egg near this pollen ball and then seals off this section of tunnel with a partition made of chewed wood. She constructs additional cells in this manner until the tunnel is
completely filled, usually with six to seven cells (depending on length of the tunnel). These adult bees die in a matter of weeks. The eggs hatch in a few days and the offspring complete their development in about 5 to 7 weeks. Adults begin to emerge in later summer. Although the bees remain active, feeding on pollen Page