![]() The world’s largest bee, the Himalayan giant honeybee, is particularly aggressive with a sting to match! Body shapeīees generally have a rounder body shape than a wasp or fly. Large bees usually have a length of 20mm or more.Medium bees are usually 15-20mm in length.Small bees are usually 10-15mm in length.Tiny bees are usually less than 10 mm in length.Bee identification guide steps Sizeīees range from tiny insects with a body length of under a centimeter to large, armored juggernauts of two or three centimeters in length. Here are the key areas to look out for when identifying bees. Once you have some basic rules for spotting bees, you’ll be blown away by just how many there are around you. You don’t have to be an entomologist to identify bees in your yard. Rounding Up A quick guide to easy bee identification.Box-headed blood bee (Sphecodes monilicornis) Coast leafcutter bee – Megachile maritima Wood-carving leafcutter bee – Megachile ligniseca Alfalfa leafcutter bee – Megachile rotundata Valley carpenter bee / Hawaiian carpenter bee – Xylocopa sonorina Eastern carpenter bee – Xylocopa virginica Orchard mason bee / blue orchard bee – Osmia lignaria Large Garden Bumblebee – Bombus ruderatus Common eastern bumblebee – Bombus impatiens Red-tailed bumble bee – Bombus lapidarius Buff-tailed bumblebee – Bombus terrestris Himalayan giant honey bee – Apis laboriosa Koschevnikov’s honey bee – Apis koschevnikovi Black dwarf honey bee – Apis andreniformis A quick guide to easy bee identification.Both make the wood less attractive to bee tunneling.īy University of Maryland graduate student Veronica Yurchak. The easiest way to control carpenter bees is to prevent infestations by using pressure treated wood or painting any exposed untreated wood. They are effective pollinators of eggplant, tomato, and many other vegetables and flowers, including native wild plants, thus contributing to food sources for birds and other wildlife.Ĭommon nesting sites include eaves, rafters, siding, decks, and outdoor furniture. Although their large size, loud buzzing, and defensive behavior can be intimidating, they are unable to sting and should simply be ignored.Ĭarpenter bees pollinate using "buzz pollination", an especially efficient type of pollination where bees use their powerful flight muscles to rapidly vibrate the flower, releasing the pollen out of the anther. In spring, male carpenter bees can often be found hovering outside the entrance to nesting tunnels. Females then burrow into wood, excavating new brood, or nesting, tunnels to lay their eggs. Bumblebee abdomens are fuzzy.Ī single carpenter bee can live up to three years, and there are generally one to two generations per year.Īdults overwinter in old brood tunnels previously constructed in wood, emerging in early spring to mate. The abdomen of a carpenter bee is black, shiny, and hairless-sometimes called a patent leather butt. ![]() Often confused with bumble bees, carpenter bees can be easily distinguished by looking at their abdomens. Eastern Carpenter Bee ( Xylocopa virginica)Ĭarpenter bees are the largest native bees in the United States, along with bumblebee queens.
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