![]() ![]() They also use wood on houses that is not painted or varnished.Ĭarpenter bees can have horizontal or vertical nests, depending on the direction of the wood’s grain. Large carpenter bees chew nests in wood, and can use fence posts, stumps or dead tree branches. (That’s another good reason to leave taller wildflowers with hollow stems to overwinter in your garden, as well!) Adult females sometimes overwinter in hollow stems and continue to use the same stem as a nest. Small carpenter bees make their homes in stems of various dead plants. They may nest in the same area for generations. In the wild, the bees prefer nesting in conifers such as cypress, pine or juniper. In Florida, the bees are active most of the year and may nest in February and March and again in summer months. Xylocopa is greek for “woodworker,” referring to the bees’ ability to make its home in wood. Bee taxonomists distinguish each species by determining the distance between the eyes, the number of antenna segments, types of submarginal cells in wings, and abdomen and thorax color and pubescence.įlower preferences include many native shrubs but also wildflowers of Aster, Bidens, Hibiscus, Monarda, Solidago, Stachys, Teucrium and Vernonia species.Ĭlick here for photos and more information on how to identify large carpenter bees. Their color may be black, metallic blue, greenish black, or purplish blue and may also have slight yellow pubescence on the thorax, legs or abdomen. Photo by Mary Keim.īoth species are similar in size and are often mistaken for bumblebees. Xylocopa micans on Butterweed ( Packera glabella).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |