Carpenter Bee Facts for Kids

A Picture of a Carpenter Bee
  • Common Name: Carpenter Bee
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Order: Hymenoptera
  • Family: Apidae
  • Genus: Xylocopa

10 Carpenter Bee Facts for Kids

  1. Carpenter bee is a common name used for bee species that are members of the Xylocopa genus of the subfamily Xylocopinae.
  2. There are around 500 species of bees that are considered carpenter bees.
  3. Carpenter bees are solitary bees, but a few species do have nests with a few individuals.
  4. Carpenter bees are sometimes confused with bumble bees due to their similar appearances. A carpenter bee has a smooth, hairless abdomen. A bumble bee has a hairy abdomen with black and yellow stripes.
  5. Carpenter bees are commonly black and blue, but can also be greenish, purple and other metallic colors.
  6. Carpenter bees are on average between 0.5 and 1 inch in length.
  7. Carpenter bees have four stages in their lifecycle, they are egg, larva, pupa and adult.
  8. A female carpenter bee only lays between five and ten eggs in her lifetime.
  9. Only female carpenter bees have a stinger, and only sting in rare circumstances.
  10. Carpenter bees are considered pests. They are known to excavate tunnels in manmade wooden structures. While they don’t cause anywhere near the same amount of damage as termites, considerable damage can occur if the same area is infested year after year.

Additional Resources with Carpenter Bee Facts

  • About Carpenter Bees – Discover more about the carpenter bee on the University of Kentucky Entomology website.
  • Carpenter Bees – Learn more about carpenter bees on the PennState College of Agricultural Sciences website.
  • Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa spp.) – Explore carpenter bees and what they do on the U.S. Forest Service website.