Carpenter Bees and Bumble Bees: What’s the difference?

When the warm air from a spring breeze rolls in, you can hear the buzzing about of the carpenter bee and bumble bee. Bees are an essential part of the ecosystem here on earth, but most people fret when they get too close for comfort. Like the carpenter and bumblebee, the larger bees often bring about more fear than the other smaller varieties.

Why are people so afraid of these larger bees, and do you fear that one sting from these mammoth insects could inflict great pain. If you’re sitting outside and enjoying the weather, you may find that you see a lot of these bees. When the number of visitors seems to increase, it could be because there is a nearby nest. How do you know which bee you’re dealing with since they look somewhat similar?

Carpenter Bees and Bumble Bees

At first glance, you assume the carpenter bees and bumble bees are a like. Thankfully, some hallmarks make identifying these insects easy. Once you really study their physical characteristics, you will quickly see which pests have taken up residence near your home.

• Bodies

One of the most significant differences between the two bees is their abdomen. The carpenter bee has a shiny black body with no hair, while the bumblebee has a hairy body. Additionally, the bumblebee has some yellow mixed into their abdomen, whereas the carpenter is just black.

If you observe their flying patterns, you will also notice a marked difference. Carpenter bees have a beautiful flying style as they like to dive and dart back and forth. They prefer to be alone, so if another bee comes close, they will chase them. On the other hand, the bumblebee tends to fly in a traditional method, and they are more social and like to be with other bees.

• Behaviors

Their large body makes them intimidating, but they’re both not aggressive in nature. The carpenter bee is not a stinger. The male bee can’t sting as they don’t even have stingers. Only the female may feel inclined to sting if she feels she is in danger. On the other hand, the bumblebee tends to be more apt to sting.

Think of them as an armed guard ready to strike. They are fierce when it comes to defending their nests, and they don’t mind stinging you a couple of times to get their point across. Since they’re so social, they often travel together, so their “family dynamics” makes them even more apt to strike.

The female carpenter is less likely to sting because she knows she only has one chance. When she injects her stinger into someone, she dies. This also means that she messes with the reproduction of the colony. So, she is cautious and doesn’t want to sting just for any reason.

Now, the bumblebee is different. The female can sting all day long, and it won’t mess with her reproductive system. Since this larger bee has nothing to lose, they won’t mind stinging you a few times to make sure you know they mean business.

• Diet

Carpenter bees nest in wood, and they love the unpainted variety. They tend to frequent areas where there are bare pine, cypress, cedar, and redwood planks. For some odd reason, the stain doesn’t bother them as much as paint, so if you have wood decking around your home, you may see them move in.

• Life Cycle

There are 250 species of bumbles bees, and some will live longer than others. The queen will live about one year. The worker bumblebees only live for about 2-6 weeks. The male bumblebee only lives about two weeks before he perishes as his only purpose is to mate with the queen.

The male carpenter bee lives roughly 12 months, but the female may live a bit longer. Like many other bee varieties, the male dies after he mates with the queen. One unique ability of these female bees is to store the sperm after she mates until she is ready to lay eggs.

• Habitat

The carpenter bee prefers to make tunnels in wood. They often will use the soffits around your home where there may be some decay. When you see bees buzzing about your porch or entrance to your home, it’s no doubt the carpenter. They love window trim, fascia to get under siding, decks, and even nest in your outdoor furniture. Since they prefer solitude, they don’t live in big colonies like other bees.

The bumblebee chooses to nest towards the ground. They’re social insects, so they like to live in groups. The queen hibernates in the winter and awakens, ready to find a new location to nest. You won’t find these bees setting up house in your outdoor furniture or on the fascia boards. Instead, they prefer to be low.

It’s common to find the bumblebee nest in the grass, on a log pile, or in piles of leaves. On some occasions, the bumblebee will use a shed or wall to make a nest, but this is not commonplace. Generally, these bees aren’t going to bother your everyday life, so they aren’t as troublesome as the carpenter bee.

• Damage

Since the bumblebee doesn’t invade your space, they’re not much of a danger to you. However, if they put their nests in a place where anyone in your home is threatened, then they need to be relocated. Don’t grab spray from your local hardware store, as it can be extremely dangerous to try to eradicate a nest without proper equipment. You can make the bees mad and cause them to come after you.

The carpenter bee does cause a significant bit of damage to your home. These bees drill holes or tunnels into your wood to nest. Each hole houses one bee, and the female will create a spot that she will use as a nesting space.

When she is ready to lay eggs, she will place 6-8 inside one designated area. It’s not uncommon to find numerous holes in one region, which equates to several nests. However, don’t let the beauty of their craftmanship detour you from their destructive nature.

Unlike some insects, the carpenter bee doesn’t cause structural damage. Like termites that can cost thousands to repair their path of destruction, this bee’s work is only aesthetically unappealing. One problem that you must watch for is that these nesting holes often attract woodpeckers. These birds love to get the larvae the queen laid to cause more damage than the bee.

Carpenter Bees and Bumble Bees: Getting Rid of These Buzzing Pests

No one wants too many bees around as it’s troublesome to young children and those allergic to stings. There is a proper way to combat these critters. A word of warning, professional assistance is recommended due to the possibility of being stung repetitively. The carpenter female doesn’t like to sting, but it doesn’t mean that she won’t sting.

The Bumble Bee

Bumblebee nests are close to the ground. If they’re out of your way, then don’t disturb them. If you want the nest moved to preserve the ecosystem, then a trained professional should do this.

Don’t ever think buying a bee suit at your local hardware store is sufficient. It takes much more than some protective gear to accomplish this task. Even if you choose to kill the bees, this too should be handled by a professional. Bees often go crazy when sprayed, and it can be dangerous.

It’s always best to work in the nighttime as bees are less active and won’t be apt to sting. You can be proactive to prevent the bumblebee from taking up residence. If you have any woodpiles on your property, make sure you move them to a location where children and pets won’t frequent. Additionally, if any rodents or animals have dug holes in your yard, then you need to fill them up.

Not only will filling in holes keep bumblebees at bay, but they can also keep yellow jackets and rodents from setting up housing.

The Carpenter Bee

Getting rid of the carpenter bee is not as dangerous as it is laborious. Since these bees don’t like painted surfaces, it’s best to paint all wooded soffits and fascia to keep them away. Wood stains provide some distraction, but it’s not a foolproof method. During mating season, it’s essential to keep any building or garage doors closed, so they cannot gain entry.

One thing you can do to help keep carpenter bees away is to put up fascia boards made of plastic or metal. When the wood underneath is covered, then they cannot get into it to nest. A carpenter bee can’t drill through any aluminum or vinyl products, so it’s a better option.

Once all the active bees have left the nests, you can plug these holes to keep them from returning the next season. However, this cannot be done till July or August, so you will need to find other ways to combat them until this time. A liquid treatment can be sprayed in areas where these bees are likely to nest.

However, it’s best to spray in early April before they start hunting for a new home. Timing is essential when it comes to combating these bees. You don’t seal the holes during their active season because they can chew their way through the barrier.

Carpenter Bees and Bumble Bees: Knowing When To Call For Help

When dealing with any bee issue, it’s always best to bring in professionals. Since the danger of getting stung and possibly having an allergic reaction is excellent, you don’t want to take the chance. If you have children or pets that roam your grounds, then having bumble bees poses a serious health threat.

Whether dealing with the carpenter or the bumblebee, you need help. While they are about the same size, they are two vastly different bees. Both can be destructive in unique ways, and you don’t want to deal with either one.