Carpenter Bees Philip J. Hamman and John M. Owens Carpenter bees are common in Texas and ordinarily their tunneling is of little or no consequence. However structural repairs may be necessary if colonies are present year after year in the same timber. Effective control includes prevention, persistence in locating the nesting site and insecticide applications. Description At least twelve species of carpenter bees occur in the United States.
Some species become economically important when they nest in sound structural wood.
They are metallic blue-black with green or purplish reflections and are covered with orange or bright yellow hair. Bumblebees have some yellow hair on the top of the abdomen. Female carpenter bees also have a dense brush of hairs on the hind legs whereas bumblebees have unusually large pollen baskets. Both male and unfertilized female carpenter bees overwinter in nest tunnels constructed the previous summer. May. Mating occurs within a few wecks and nest construction follows immediatcly.