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 the general area, they do not construct new tunnels. With the onset of cold weather, the bees seek overwintering shelter. Carpenter bee gallery inside a section of wood.
Arrows point to the invidual cells within the gallery.
Typically, carpenter bees do not cause serious structural damage to wood unless large numbers of bees are allowed to drill many tunnels over successive years. The bees often eliminate their wastes before entering the tunnel. Yellowish-brown staining from voided fecal matter may be visible on the wood beneath the hole. Woodpeckers may damage infested wood in search of bee larvae in the tunnels. In the case of thin wood, such as siding, this damage can be severe.