What is the difference between honey bees and carpenter bees

These queen bees can inflict a nasty sting, unlike their male counterparts. Because they live near homes, carpenter bees are more likely to call for preventative measures. With bumble bees, people often only have to deal with them if or when they get stung. Since , Abell Pest Control has provided quality services, protecting our customers and their patrons from coast-to-coast.

Our customers enjoy the expertise and resources of a national provider. We are reliable experts in pest control—experts who care. At Abell Pest Control, we bring experience, efficacy and knowledge to customers who are looking for a fast, safe and effective solution to their pest problem. You probably already know that most people are repulsed by the simple sight of cockroaches.

If you are personally dealing with a cockroach infestation, the feelings of disgust are probably even more intense. Unfortunately, the cold winter weather tends to be one of the reasons this pest ends up in your home in the first place, according to Any Pest. While you may know that you don't want to share your home with cockroaches this winter, there are a number of interesting facts about this pest that you've probably never heard.

Because of the high amount of traffic and the versatility of the facilities, pests are naturally attracted to long-term care institutions. Many nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and other care facilities include on-site kitchens and cafeterias as well as private rooms and common spaces. All of these places are susceptible to attracting pests because of the presence of food, water and viable habitats. During the summer months, some people love to go camping with family and friends.

Yet this fun trip can be ruined with a few unwanted visitors, most notably different types of bugs. Crawling spiders, hungry mosquitoes and buzzing flies can become annoying quickly. A few years ago, I was weeding my flower beds when I heard a single buzz go by. A moment later, I was attacked by a swarm of carpenter bees. I was not near a nest and did nothing to provoke them wear a specific color of clothing, wear perfume, etc. I was raised with bees; this was a shock.

Advertisement These suckers are mean. I had a huge medical bill since I did not respond to any of the three shots given for stings, and no, I am not allergic to bee stings, yet I almost died. If you know you are near a nesting area, beware. By the way, they attacked my dog who was outside with me too. The probably were not carpenter bees.

Carpenter bees get their name from their habit of boring into wood to make galleries for rearing their young. They resemble bumble bees, but the abdomen rear body segment is black and shiny and lacks the extensive yellow hairs found on bumble bee abdomens. Adult carpenter bees overwinter in abandoned nest tunnels. In the spring, the survivors emerge, usually in late April or early May, and feed on nectar. Mating occurs a few weeks later and newly fertilized females may either reuse old galleries, construct a new one by lengthening old galleries or bore entirely new ones.

The female bores a circular hole about the size of her body straight into the wood, across the grain, for a distance of about one inch. Then, the gallery takes a right-angle turn, usually with the grain of the wood and parallel to the outer surface. The entrance and tunnel are clean and sharp. They may appear like they were made with a brace and bit. New galleries average 4 to 6 inches long, but those developed or used by several bees or past generations may extend up to 10 feet.

When the nest is complete, females place a mixture of nectar and pollen at the end of the gallery and lay eggs on the material. This portion of the gallery is then sealed off with a plug of chewed wood pulp. This process is repeated about one cell per day until a linear series of five to eight cells is completed. Larval development can take five to six weeks with new adults emerging during summer and fall. These adults store pollen in preparation for overwintering, but do not mate until emerging from the gallery the following spring.

Female carpenter bees nest in a wide range of woods, but prefer weathered and unpainted wood. In Oklahoma, structural woods or sidings of redwood, cypress, cedar or white pine are common nesting sites for carpenter bees.

Female carpenter bees can sting but rarely do so unless handled. Males tend to be territorial and often demonstrate aggressive behavior when humans approach, sometimes hovering a short distance in front of the face or buzzing over head. Males lack stingers, so the aggressive behavior is for show or bluff. The best results will be realized if individual galleries are treated with an appropriately labeled pesticide.

When possible, treat the galleries after dark when bees are calm. Dust formulations of insecticides can be blown into the galleries e. Also, pressurized aerosol sprays or aerosols with injectable applicators can be used to direct chemicals into galleries e. A day or two following treatment, fill the entrance holes with caulking compound, plastic wood or a tight-fitting wooden dowel glued in place. Remember, unpainted wood is preferred by the bees, so consider painting the nesting areas to help deter future infestations.

These large, robust bees resemble carpenter bees; however, bumble bees have yellow and black hairs on their abdomen Figure 5. Carpenter bees have smooth, shiny black rear body segments Figure 4. They obtain their food almost exclusively from flowers. Although they make honey, they usually store it in such small quantities as to be impractical for commercial purposes. They are, however, very beneficial as pollinators of several plant species, but are not as important to commercial crops as are honey bees.

Only a few crop systems in cooler temperate areas rely on bumble bees for effective pollination. Their underground colonies are small, compared to honey bee hives and contain only a few hundred bees by late summer.

Their nests are composed of wax posts provisioned with nectar and pollen for feeding the brood housed in clumps of cells. They often nest in loose, fibrous habitats such as mouse nests, insulation or grass clippings. The colonies are annual, with only fertilized queens overwintering. Young worker bees take care of the hive and care for the developing young. As a bee grows older, their tasks will progress to other more complex duties such as storage of nectar and pollen.

The mature bee will become a forager and fly to pollen sources. Only female carpenter bees are capable of stinging.

Male carpenter bees may act aggressively toward humans, but are incapable of causing any harm. It is rare for carpenter bees to sting, and as a nonsocial bee, they do not congregate in large groups, so they pose little threat to humans. Because honey bees live in large social groups, they do tend to sting humans. Honey bees are not naturally aggressive, but they may assertively defend their hive.

Each honey bee can only sting once; the stinger will be removed during the sting and will cause the bee to die. Because of the unique way carpenter bees build their nests, they are easily captured with simple traps that prevent carpenter bees from creating their damaging nest tunnels in your home.

Our wooden traps look like bird houses, are simple to use and will last for years.