Carpenter Bees

European hornet?

I realize it does not quite fit the description of "big black head", but V. crabro is well known for it's love of stripping lilac twigs
Just another suggestion

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3128/2714736550_ce4d3f688b.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/2936935287_a952f9a937.jpg
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/images/euro2.jpg

… Vespula Vulgaris, 11 March, 2009 - 5:52am

Giant resin bee?

You might also look at the giant resin bee, Megachile sculpturalis, as a possbible suspect, possibly stripping the bark to induce a flow of sap, which the bee would then gather. Hypothetical suggestion on my part, but doesn't sound much like carpenter bee behavior.

… Eric R. Eaton, 1 September, 2006 - 12:46pm

Peg,

Here is a link to the carpenter bee family. You may want to browse throught the photos to see if yours are a match. I also found a site that asks your same question and gives some answers here. I have been around these bees and I really like them. They are not aggressive and I think if you use the paint and seal method they will move on to a new habitat.

… Lynette Elliott, 30 August, 2006 - 9:03pm

Carps

Paint and seal a lilac bush? :-)

I agree they are not agressive towards people, but they can be brutal to wooden structures. I really enjoyed their company until I realized that at least 50 of them were building galleries along a roof support beam on my pole barn. :-(

… Jay Barnes, 31 August, 2006 - 6:17am

I'm waiting for my back fence to fall into the street behind it

They buzz around all over it, and I can see the piles of sawdust at the base of the fence...

Do they stay (or return) the following year, or can I expect winter to get rid of them?

… Ashley Bradford, 1 September, 2006 - 12:18pm

Carpenter Bees

I'd like to know if you got a reply on your question. We also have a herd of the little buggers all over the place. We like the natural wood look and are trying to avaid painting as a way to stop them, so any information about putting them at baye, would be helpful.
Thanks

Bill

… Bill Brown, 10 March, 2009 - 11:28pm

Weird...

I agree with Eric, that the bark-stripping behavior is uncharacteristic of carpenter bees. However, the sawdust has me curious again.

I just posted some photos of what to expect if carpenter bees are the culprit:

Winter generally doesn't get rid of anything. Habitat destruction or modification is much more effective.

… Jay Barnes, 1 September, 2006 - 3:17pm

More info needed

Jay, I was unable to reach you with your home page link to ask you what species "Sleeping Bee", displayed on your other site, is. I have more of this kind in my area, than any other. To me they look like carpenter bees, but don't act like them. They are medium to large bees and not agressive. There is a nest of these in some insulation in the wall of my garage. I've been watching them all summer. Is this by chance another type of bumblebee? I thought since you live in the northeast also, you would possibly know. I've searched the web and can't find any like them til I saw your photo. I may be wrong, but I thought carpenter bees didn't have pollen baskets. I don't have any books that address just Hymenoptera, so need some ID help. Thanks

… Gloria Bolinger, 3 September, 2006 - 10:47am

Not a bee expert

I'm not a bee expert, but I just uploaded that one to ID request, so hopefully I can get a good answer.

I'm certain mine is not a carpenter be due to the fur on its abdomen, and yours as well based on your description of the nest. I'm pretty sure that mine is also not a honey-bee due to the lack of fur on its eyes. And that pretty much sums up my vast knowledge of bee identification. :-)

ID from a photo can be difficult, and ID by proxy can be just plain wrong, so you might try to get a few shots of your bees for a more accurate answer.

… Jay Barnes, 3 September, 2006 - 2:09pm