Transcript: "The Eastern Carpenter Bee is often confused with a bumblebee, but has a shiny black abdomen, as opposed to the fuzzy abdomen of the bumblebee. There are over 500 species of carpenter bee around the world and this is the most common one in the eastern United States.

The female is the workhorse of the relationship. She makes a nest by tunneling into wood. Unlike termites, the bees do not eat the wood. They discard the bits or use them to make walls in their nests.

The nest is used as a nursery for the young and a place to store pollen. The female carpenter bee spends her time building the nest, collecting pollen for her brood and laying eggs.

Meanwhile, the male feeds himself and spends time hovering in his territory and protecting it from other males.

These bees are not aggressive and males do not even have stingers. The couple and their young will spend the winter in their nests and emerge in the spring.

They can be considered pests because they burrow into the soft, exposed wood of peoples homes. However, they have an important role in pollinating the food we eat and the beautiful flowers we enjoy." (less info)