Source webinar: Carpenter Bees, Great Southeast Pollinator Course Week One (June 16, 2026)
Presenters: Whitney Ottinger; Dr. Bethany Harris
Audience: Home gardeners, school and community gardens, growers, county agents, and Great Southeast Pollinator Census volunteers
Credit: No applicator CEU. Educators who attended the live session earn 1 PLU.
All terms and relationships come directly from the webinar. Each Column B list includes one or two extra (distractor) items so learners cannot answer by elimination alone.
Matching Exercise 1: Carpenter Bee Biology and Identification
Timestamp Reference: 6:47 – 14:06 (primary coverage area)
Type: Species ID
Instructions: Match each term in Column A with the correct description in Column B.
| # | Column A | Column B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shiny hiney | a) Lays all the eggs and gathers the pollen and nectar for the nest | |
| 2 | Fuzzy fanny | b) The eastern carpenter bee, whose name means “woodcutter” | |
| 3 | Xylocopa virginica | c) Smooth black abdomen — the carpenter bee’s tell | |
| 4 | Xylocopa micans | d) Defends the nest from parasites and competing carpenter bees | |
| 5 | Primary female | e) Fuzzy abdomen — the bumblebee’s tell | |
| 6 | Secondary female | f) The Southern carpenter bee, with paler yellow hairs and wider eye spacing | |
| 7 | Tertiary female | g) Tube-like anthers that trap pollen, released by buzz pollination | |
| 8 | Poricidal anthers | h) May overwinter a second time and become next year’s primary female | |
| i) (distractor) Male carpenter bee with a yellow or white face patch | |||
| j) (distractor) A ground-nesting bee that lives in a small colony |
Answer Key:
1 → c, 2 → e, 3 → b, 4 → f, 5 → a, 6 → d, 7 → h, 8 → g
(Distractors i and j are unused.)
Source in transcript: Ottinger — ID and species (~6:47–8:12), life cycle and female roles (~12:09–13:18), passionflower/buzz lead-in; Harris — poricidal anthers (~58:43–59:05). Distractor i references male face patch (~27:11); distractor j references bumblebee ground nesting (~27:11, 1:09:12).
Matching Exercise 2: Plants and Their Role for Carpenter Bees
Timestamp Reference: 13:40 – 1:06:32 (primary coverage area)
Type: Item-to-Category (plant → role described in UGA trials)
Instructions: Match each plant in Column A with how the presenters described it in Column B.
| # | Column A | Column B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purple passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) | a) Pink, medium-height crepe myrtle; top bee attractor across all groups | |
| 2 | ’Seminole’ | b) Tube-like mint-family flowers carpenter bees often nectar-rob | |
| 3 | ’Victor’ | c) Specialized fit for carpenter bee pollination; also a Gulf fritillary host plant | |
| 4 | Vitex ‘Daytona Heat’ series | d) Late-season (August–October) bloom resource | |
| 5 | Frost aster and New England aster | e) Red, dwarf crepe myrtle; resistant to crepe myrtle aphid and powdery mildew | |
| 6 | Salvias | f) UGA-bred woody with large panicles that serve as a landing pad for larger bees | |
| 7 | Rudbeckia, Coreopsis, Helenium | g) Asteraceae (aster-family) plants that attracted carpenter bees in UGA trials | |
| h) (distractor) Mountain mint — grew well but slow to bloom as a perennial | |||
| i) (distractor) Bermudagrass — turf, not a nectar source in the trials |
Answer Key:
1 → c, 2 → a, 3 → e, 4 → f, 5 → d, 6 → b, 7 → g
(Distractors h and i are unused.)
Source in transcript: Ottinger — passionflower (~13:40); Harris — crepe myrtle ‘Seminole’/‘Victor’ (~51:35–52:44), Vitex ‘Daytona Heat’ (~1:05:45), late-season asters (~47:07), salvias/nectar robbing (~50:28, 1:00:14), Asteraceae attractors (~50:01). Distractor h references mountain mint (~47:37); distractor i is a plausible non-trial turf species.
Matching Exercise 3: Management and Census Practice
Timestamp Reference: 17:15 – 1:08:29 (primary coverage area)
Type: Timing-Practice
Instructions: Match each practice in Column A with the situation or timing it fits in Column B.
| # | Column A | Column B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paint or seal exposed wood | a) Correct entrance-hole size for a carpenter bee nesting box (per NC State) | |
| 2 | Drill a half-inch entrance hole | b) First step to discourage nesting before considering insecticide | |
| 3 | Morning sun, afternoon shade | c) Census tally rule when a bee leaves and returns | |
| 4 | Inspect and replace boxes before early spring | d) Ideal nesting-box placement to avoid overheating | |
| 5 | Warm sunny day, early morning to midday | e) Seasonal box upkeep, because boxes can harbor pathogens as they weather | |
| 6 | Count each landing event | f) Best conditions and time of day to count carpenter bees for the census | |
| 7 | Move scrap lumber away from structures | g) Redirect bees away from buildings you want to protect | |
| h) (distractor) Apply insecticide as the routine first response | |||
| i) (distractor) Place the box in full sun all day for maximum warmth |
Answer Key:
1 → b, 2 → a, 3 → d, 4 → e, 5 → f, 6 → c, 7 → g
(Distractors h and i are unused — both contradict the presenters’ guidance.)
Source in transcript: Ottinger — seal wood / move lumber / insecticide last (~17:15–18:12); Harris — half-inch hole (~31:26), morning sun/afternoon shade (~33:30), inspect/replace boxes (~34:27, 1:15:22), census timing (~1:01:22), count each landing (~1:08:08).
Processed for UGA Center for Urban Agriculture / Great Southeast Pollinator Course Archives
Source: Corrected SRT (Stage 1) — GTBOP_Transcript_2026-06-16_CarpenterBees.srt (286 blocks); Archive Package (Stage 2) for structure