April 12, 2013

how do carpenter bees drill holes?

I was wondering if they have teeth and if not, how do they drill their holes?

Carpenter bees don’t have teeth. But what they do have are mandibles and they use their mandibles like teeth. Basically they use them to cut and tear through wood they target for nest making.

And once they find wood they want to nest in, they’ll use their mandibles to tear away in circular patterns that ultimately will fit their bodies perfectly. The process will take some time; carpenter bees can drill about 1 inch of nest every 5-6 days. But in the end, their nests can be several feet long with several egg chambers drilled off the main nest path.

Learn more about carpenter bees by reviewing our article which also features some excellent video and pictures:

Carpenter Bee Control: www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-control.html

Filed under DRILLING BEE