They are known to have solitary nests, but they usually nest in social groups.
I took this photo of an eastern carpenter bee on the same day that I took the photo of a goldenrod soldier beetle. Matt had been in Indianapolis visiting, and we went to Eagle Creek Park to take some photos. Now typically when I’m at the park, I will try to stay close to the lake that is in the middle in order to get some photos of the wildlife that is in, on, or around the water. On this day, we decided to stay on the east side of the park because there is a massive field of wildflowers that I knew was in full bloom. It was while hiking among these wildflowers that I saw this eastern carpenter bee hanging out on these yellow flowers.
This busy little pollinator is known as an eastern carpenter bee. Its scientific name is Xylocopa virginica. Carpenter bees are not quite solitary bees, but they are not truly social either. They are known to have solitary nests, but they usually nest in social groups. They have three tiers to their social order: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary females are the dominant ones, and are in charge of reproduction, laying eggs, and providing food to the larvae. The secondary bees will sometimes lay eggs and provide food, but their primary role is nest maintenance. Tertiary females are mostly inactive awaiting overwintering. Males primarily patrol the nests.
To identify an eastern carpenter bee and not confuse it with a bumblebee, look for their mostly black bodies with a slightly purple metallic tint. Carpenter bees have a bare, shiny abdomen. Their thorax is yellow. The wings of an eastern carpenter bee are black and have round tips. They have one black spot in the middle of their yellow thorax. Their heads are black, and they have two black antennae. The legs of eastern carpenter bees are all black and look slightly fuzzy.
Take a Closer Look
Eastern carpenter bees can be found in temperate and cold zones. They are found in the eastern United States and Canada. They mostly eat nectar and pollen. When the bees first emerge, they will be brought food by the females. Carpenter bees will use their maxillae to penetrate the corolla of the flower to reach the nectar stores. This can bypass any form of pollination for the flower as they do not make contact with the anthers in this scenario.
Did you know that male eastern carpenter bees are unable to sting, but the females can sting multiple times if provoked?
Did you know that eastern carpenter bees will chew into wood to build their nests?
Carpenter bees will use their maxillae to penetrate the corolla of the flower to reach the nectar stores.
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