Carpenter bees are a common target of Cape Girardeau pest control during spring and summer. Find out what happens when the thermometer drops and how the seasons affect their life cycle.

Nesting Process of Carpenter Bees

While carpenter bees do work on wood, the results can be destructive. They seek wooden objects such as doors, windowsills, railings and telephone poles to house their nests.

Nest building begins with a carpenter bee drilling a 1/2-inch hole into the chosen piece of wood to serve as the entrance. Once the hole is drilled to approximately one-inch depth, the bee will start drilling tunnels at right angles to the original entrance hole.

Winter Hibernation Leads to Spring Birth

During winter, carpenter bees head deep into the tunnels to hibernate. When spring arrives, the young males and females mate and expand the nest to create new chambers where larvae can complete their development.

The newly hatched carpenter bees emerge around August, at which point their older “parents” die off. As cold weather approaches, the young bees feed on nectar for sustenance before returning to the tunnels, where the cycle will repeat itself.

Are Carpenter Bees Dangerous?

Only female carpenter bees can sting, but they rarely do. The real threat of carpenter bees is from structural damage that may arise as they expand tunnels for breeding purposes.

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