Coneflower & Eastern Carpenter Bee Items Button

The Eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica) is often mistaken for a bumblebee, but its abdomen is a shiny black, not fuzzy like a bumblebee. These bees drill tunnels in wood where they lay their eggs. The tunnels are also used for winter hibernation. The males have no stingers, the females can sting but are not aggressive and rarely sting. They are peaceable bees that like the company of other carpenter bees but don't live in colonies. As honey bees become more rare, carpenter bees become more important as pollinators.