Eastern Carpenter Bee

Description:

Eastern carpenter bees have a shiny black abdomen, with the only yellow hair present being at the base next to the thorax.

Habitat:

Collin County Adventure Camp is a branch of the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas and an ACA accredited facility and program. Explore the unique environment of the Black Land Prairie in our Outdoor Education program.

Notes:

The most visible physical difference (at a glance) between this species and a bumblebee is the abdomen. Eastern carpenter bees have a shiny black abdomen, with the only yellow hair present being at the base next to the thorax, while bumblebees have a very fuzzy abdomen, which in some species has large areas of yellow hair across the middle (this is visible and obvious). The female eastern carpenter bee also has a much broader head than bumblebees. Eastern carpenter bees can be sexed at a glance. Males have a patch of white or yellow cuticle on the face, as opposed to females, whose faces are black. Males are unable to sting, since a bee's stinger is a modified ovipositor (an egg laying organ).