[Problems & Solutions] Bee Causes Misidentification?

I have had many calls from pest management professionals along the East Coast who ask about carpenter bee activity. So what, you say? Well, the calls are coming in late summer and I’m hearing from pest management professionals that carpenter bees are seen entering and leaving holes and that they’re even making nests. This goes against everything that is written in our pest control books; our references say carpenter bee nesting stops in early summer. I’ve heard from pest management professionals that they’ve seen bees going back into old nesting holes in the fall. But what about making new nests at this time of year?

This past year I came across an interesting bee around my house. In fact, I found several of them inside the house. I never had seen one before so I was curious as to what it was. After conferring with a couple of entomologists, I found out it was a giant resin bee. Giant resin bees look like carpenter bees — they are just about as big, although maybe not so robust. The two have some similar habits — they are solitary nesters; females can sting but seldom do; males can’t sting; and they utilize small openings, cracks and holes. Giant resin bees build nests similar to carpenters bees. By sealing off sections using resin from the sap of trees and mud, the females can make up to 10 sections within the nest site. One of the most noticeable features is their mandibles. They are huge! When looking at them you get the impression they could bite worse than they could sting. But in fact, they are fairly docile insects. Because of their activity, I suspect we are seeing giant resin bees entering carpenter bee holes and using them for nesting (or exploring for nesting). This would occur at about the same time carpenter bees are finishing their nesting and emerging.

Anyone interested in finding out more information about these pests can visit the following Web site: www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Other/orn_t110.html. If you do see giant resin bees, please let me know. They are a recently introduced species into the United States and it would be interesting to see how far they have spread across the country.

The author is president of George Rambo Consulting Services, Seneca, S.C. Questions can be faxed to him at 864/654-2447 or e-mailed to grambo@giemedia.com.