Carpenter bees are the “most controversial” insect on the Great Southeast Pollinator Census — and Week One of the course makes the case for them. UGA Center for Urban Agriculture educators Whitney Ottinger and Dr. Bethany Harris cover how to tell a carpenter bee from a bumblebee (the “shiny hiney” vs. “fuzzy fanny” test), how these bees buzz-pollinate tomatoes and blueberries at ~130 Hz, and how to keep them out of your deck without reaching for an insecticide.
Recorded June 16, 2026. Part of the seven-week Great Southeast Pollinator Course hosted by Becky Griffin (co-host Rich Braman). The Great Southeast Pollinator Census is August 21–22, 2026.
CREDIT: No pesticide-applicator CEUs. Educators who attended the live session earn 1 PLU.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Welcome: the most controversial bee on the census
1:31 Whitney Ottinger: a systems approach to pests
5:00 Why carpenter bees thrive near people
6:03 Xylocopa virginica, the “woodcutter”
6:47 Shiny hiney vs. fuzzy fanny
7:37 The Southern carpenter bee (X. micans)
8:36 Life cycle: emergence, mating, and stings
10:42 How females build and provision nests
12:09 Primary, secondary, and tertiary females
13:40 A special bond with purple passionflower
15:05 Buzz pollination and the 15% crop figure
16:58 Prevention: seal the wood first
19:33 Q&A with Whitney Ottinger
23:08 Dr. Bethany Harris: identifying carpenter bees
25:45 Flight patterns and male vs. female faces
28:41 Inside the nesting galleries
31:05 Building and placing DIY nesting boxes
36:01 Buzz pollination: 130 Hz, 80× body weight
40:37 The life cycle, season by season
43:40 UGA wildflower trial: 32 native species
50:01 Which plants attract carpenter bees
50:54 Crepe myrtle study: ‘Seminole’ and ‘Victor’
54:59 Designing year-round pollinator habitat
1:00:14 Carpenter bees as nectar robbers
1:02:51 Water, shelter, and resting sites
1:05:45 Woody plants for larger bees
1:07:42 Joining the Pollinator Census (Aug 21–22)
1:11:07 Q&A with Dr. Harris
1:19:22 Next week: bumblebees, and closing
QUICK ANSWERS
Q: How do I tell a carpenter bee from a bumblebee?
A: Look at the abdomen. A carpenter bee has a smooth, shiny black “shiny hiney”; a bumblebee has a fuzzy “fuzzy fanny.” Carpenter bees are also stronger, more agile flyers, and they nest in wood rather than the ground.
Q: What is buzz pollination?
A: Some flowers — tomatoes, blueberries, eggplant, peppers — lock pollen inside tube-like poricidal anthers. Carpenter bees cling on and vibrate their flight muscles to shake it loose. DeLuca et al. measured an average buzz near 130 Hz and forces up to 80 times the bee’s body weight.
Q: How do I keep carpenter bees out of my house or deck?
A: Start with the wood, not an insecticide. Paint or seal exposed wood, and move scrap lumber away from structures. Treat only when an infestation is significant and threatening the structure.
Q: How do I build a nesting box they’ll actually use?
A: Use untreated softwood like pine and drill a large entrance hole — NC State recommends about half an inch. Place it away from structures where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade, and replace it over time as it weathers.
Q: When do I count carpenter bees for the census?
A: August 21–22, 2026, on a warm sunny day from early morning to midday. Pick one flowering plant, count for 15 minutes, and tally every landing — if a bee leaves and returns, count it again.
RESOURCES
• Great Southeast Pollinator Census (Aug 21–22, 2026) — counting & ID guide and count sheet
• Southern SARE — free public PDFs, including managing alternative pollinators
• DeLuca et al. — carpenter bee buzz-pollination research cited in the talk
• Next week: Bumblebees with Becky Griffin & Rich Hatfield (Xerces Society)
pollinators carpenterbees nativebees pollinatorcensus ugaextension
Processed for UGA Center for Urban Agriculture / Great Southeast Pollinator Course Archives
Source: Archive Package (Stage 2) — GTBOP_Archive_Summary_2026-06-16_CarpenterBees.md