Big, bold, and buzzing—three innocuous words describing the frightening and seemingly “aggressive” force behind the Carpenter bee. Carpenter bees are one of the most feared springtime pests in the DMV. These three simple facts about them might surprise you.
If you’ve ever been outside and had a large, buzzing carpenter bee hover in front of your face, you may have wondered why it seems so interested in you. These intriguing insects have a habit of flying up to people and hovering there, appearing to stare directly at them.
While this behavior can seem unnerving, carpenter bees are not actually staring at you in an aggressive or threatening way. Their hovering and facing towards you is caused by a combination of their biology, nesting habits, and curiosity about the environment. Once you understand what motivates this staring behavior, you can appreciate these gentle giants of the bee world!
Getting to Know Carpenter Bees
Carpenter bees belong to the Xylocopa genus, with about 500 species found worldwide. They are large, robust bees easily identified by their shiny black abdomens.
Carpenter bees get their name from their nesting habits. The females chew into wood to create tunnel-like nests for their eggs. You’ll often find them hovering around wooden structures like barns sheds, fences and outdoor furniture, assessing the wood for suitable nesting spots.
Unlike honey bees that live socially in hives, carpenter bees are solitary. After mating, the females work alone to build nests and take care of their young. The males don’t participate in these tasks
Why Staring Occurs
When a carpenter bee hovers near your head or chest, staring straight at you, they are not being aggressive. Here are the main reasons this behavior happens:
Surveying Territory
Carpenter bees are extremely territorial. They want to protect their nesting areas from intruders. By flying up to and staring at you, they are essentially surveying you to determine if you pose a threat. Once they determine you are not invading their space, they will move on.
Assessing Wood
Carpenter bees have an excellent ability to identify wood sources ideal for nesting. When you see one facing you, it is often because there is wood behind you that it is analyzing. The bee stares intently to gauge the texture, integrity, and condition of the wood.
Curiosity
Carpenter bees are very curious about people and new objects in their environment. If you are a new presence near their nesting area, expect to get hovered around and stared at! They are just intrigued by this novel person or thing and want to inspect it more closely.
Attraction to Movement
Like many insects, carpenter bees are highly attracted to movement. The motion of people walking, gesturing with their hands, etc. grabs the bees’ attention. They instinctively fly towards the moving objects to investigate. Facing you helps them zero in on the source of the action.
Attraction to Color
Carpenter bees have amazing color vision. They see colors much faster than humans can. Brightly colored clothing and objects grab their attention. Facing you or an object allows them to examine the interesting colors and patterns more closely.
Attraction to Scent
Carpenter bees have an excellent sense of smell and are attracted to certain scents. Things like perfume, shampoo, soap residue on your skin, or scented lotions can draw the bees in. Getting close and facing you helps them hone in on and sample interesting smells.
What to Do About Staring Bees
While unnerving, staring carpenter bees are harmless. Here are some tips for dealing with them:
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Remain calm and still – Carpenter bees are not aggressive. Avoid swatting at them and stay still so you don’t incite defensive behavior.
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Slowly move away – If a bee seems too interested in you, calmly walk away to escape its attention.
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Remove attractants – Avoid heavily scented products on your skin and wear less colorful clothing outside. This makes you less interesting for the bees to focus on.
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Seal untreated wood – Paint, varnish or otherwise seal outdoor wood to make it less appealing for nesting. Discourage carpenter bees from lingering too near your home.
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Plant flowers – Give the bees another place to channel their curiosity by cultivating flowering plants away from your house.
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Contact a beekeeper – If carpenter bees become a serious nuisance around your home, reach out to a beekeeper to have them safely removed and relocated.
A Final Look at Carpenter Bee Behavior
Carpenter bees may seem to stare at you intently, but they do not mean you any harm. Their hovering and facing towards you is simply a result of the biology and natural behaviors of this solitary, wood-nesting bee.
Next time you have a carpenter bee encounter, remember they are just going about their business surveying their territory, seeking nest sites, and exploring their environment. Stand still, avoid swatting, and let them satisfy their curiosity until they move along on their own. With understanding of what motivates their behavior, you can co-exist peacefully with these gentle giants of the bee world.
Carpenter bee feces: It Stains.
See those yellow-brown spots on your house’s siding, maybe under the gutters or the eaves? They are caused by carpenter bee poop, and they are very hard to get rid of.
Power washing doesn’t always get rid of carpenter bee poop. Finding yellow-brown stains on the side of your house, on the other hand, is a good sign that you have a problem with carpenter bees. Look high and low for this telltale sludge in an effort to locate carpenter bee nesting sites.
Hovering and dive-bombing in the name of love.
It’s what carpenter bees do, second to springtime pollination. A shiny, black bee that looks like a big bumblebee is an adult male carpenter bee. He “hovers” while he searches for a female mate.
When the male carpenter bee finds you in his territory, he may fly in and hover just inches away from your face. This is because they are naturally curious. The Good News:
Should you still not be able to get out of the way quickly enough, try throwing something small away. It’s interesting that the carpenter bee has a blind spot for almost anything that moves.
Are carpenter bees good for anything?
FAQ
Why do carpenter bees get so close to you?
Can carpenter bees recognize you?
Are carpenter bees friendly?
Why do carpenter bees get in your face?
Do carpenter bees make noise?
Many people wonder if carpenter bees make noise, and when they are drilling holes for their nests, yes carpenter bees do in fact make noise! Carpenter bee sounds generally are low vibrating and rumbling sounds inside of wood as they are drilling their way through to make their nest tunnel system.
What is a carpenter bee?
Carpenter bees are large, solitary bees that people often notice in the spring when the bees build their nests. Female bees tunnel into wood using their strong mandibles. The entrance holes to these tunnels are typically about ½ inch wide (about the size of your pinky finger) and perfectly round (image 1).
Why do carpenter bees humming?
Carpenter bees love to build their nests individually, just like they love boreholes. As a result, the insects drill through any wooden surfaces they can find in the house. This is why if you hear vibrating, buzzing, or humming sounds coming from within the walls of your house, there’s likely an infestation.
Why do carpenter bees defend a nest?
Carpenter bees who defend an existing nest, or usurp a nest from a neighbor, are rewarded by having more space, time, and energy to raise offspring. The labor required for new nest construction, combined with the reproductive benefits of inhabiting an existing nest, make pre-established nesting sites desirable.
How do you know if a house has carpenter bees?
You can easily identify an infestation of carpenter bees in the house by looking for holes in your wooden structures. The foolproof sign of bee activity is smooth round holes in the wood because that is the typical style of carpenter-bee wood tunneling. In fact, if you can be a little more precise, check to see the size of the holes.
Do carpenter bees sting?
Tip: If you discover coarse, sawdust-like material collecting on surfaces, you might have a carpenter bee problem. Female carpenter bees can inflict a painful sting only if they are handled or bothered by people. Carpenter bees do not live in colonies like honeybees or bumblebees. What you can do.