Carpenter bees drill holes in wood to create nests for their offspring. The female carpenter bee uses her strong mandibles to drill perfectly round entrance holes into wood, then bores tunnels inside where she lays eggs. She places pollen in these tunnels as food for the larvae when they hatch. The drilling is not to eat the wood but to create a safe, insulated place for her young to develop.
Female carpenter bees select wood that is softer or already damaged to make digging easier. After drilling the entrance hole, they turn perpendicularly along the wood grain to make tunnels with several chambers for eggs. Each chamber is sealed with a mixture of wood pulp and pollen to protect and feed the larvae.
This nesting behavior is why carpenter bees cause holes in wooden siding, decks, or furniture, aiming to produce a suitable habitat for their next generation.
