#bees #nest
May 29, 2021
CARPENTER BLACK BEE

I had a beautiful, interesting and unexpected visitor today. I didn't know if he was hungry or not. I had nothing to feed him, but I put out a bowl of sugar water just in case.

It was a Carpenter Black Bee. I have never seen or even heard of such a bee before. I looked up his description on the Internet.to discover his identity. He is like a big bumblebee, but all black. Due to the never ending, heavy Downtown construction there hasn't been birds, bees or butterflies for many years. Their habit has been destroyed. To see such a bee is a good sign.

"Carpenter bees are considered solitary bees, which means they tend to live in small nests without a strict social structure or division of labor. However, this does not mean that they live totally alone. They tend to like to nest near others." (Sort of like the high-rise apartment building where I live in. Alone, together.)

Nest Building Time
"Carpenter bees get their name from their preferred nesting area. They like to dig tunnels in wood, particularly weathered and exposed wood." (He was checking out the nesting possibilities of my 1918 building.) Black carpenter bees tend to be most active during the spring and summer months. April and May are particularly noticeable times, as that is when new adult bees move out of their brood cells and begin to establish their own nests."