# Carpenter bee male, anyone?



## jrh3 (Apr 13, 2013)

Does anyone feed male carpenter bees to there large species. Males have NO stingers so this may be a good food source as i have plenty around my house and woods. I was planning on feeding these to my sub adult H majusculas. Im sure they are strong enough to take these down but wanted to double check with yall. It seems 1 carpenter bee male would be easier than multiple flies and moths.


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## Precarious (Apr 13, 2013)

So long as the mantis is large enough to handle it. I've used them as feeders now and then.


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## jrh3 (Apr 13, 2013)

ok im gonna give it a try, will post picks later.


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## sinensispsyched (Apr 13, 2013)

I tried with my adult female majs, the bees were too weak fliers to reach the top of the enclosure/get the females' attention


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## jrh3 (Apr 13, 2013)

Success happened, im only gonna take a few as this will keep my population up, i love these guys! I noticed my male was looking at her licking his lips so im gonna offer one to him, lol.


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## jrh3 (Apr 13, 2013)

sorry i think i added a few moth pics in lol


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## jrh3 (Apr 13, 2013)

male was not showing interest.


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## Qwiggalo (Apr 13, 2013)

jrh3 said:


> sorry i think i added a few moth pics in lol


I was gonna say... that's... not a bee dude... lol


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## aNisip (Apr 13, 2013)

Hey could you catch a female and male carpenter bee and send it to me? Ill pay shipping and w/e cost...if not, I understand....

All the best,

Andrew


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## Digger (Apr 13, 2013)

jrh,

The males hover so wildly and erratic - how do you catch them? Females do land, but I don't want to mess with them (until they start boring into my house).


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## jrh3 (Apr 13, 2013)

Digger said:


> jrh,
> 
> The males hover so wildly and erratic - how do you catch them? Females do land, but I don't want to mess with them (until they start boring into my house).


With A Butterfly Net Swing Fast.


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## Digger (Apr 13, 2013)

My neighbors ALREADY think I'm a lunatic... :wacko: Running around with a butterfly net would seal the deal.


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## Malakyoma (Apr 13, 2013)

Digger said:


> My neighbors ALREADY think I'm a lunatic... :wacko: Running around with a butterfly net would seal the deal.


Or they'll think you like butterflies. Try planting a butterfly bush this year and using the moths and butterflies and such it attracts as tasty mantis snacks.


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## jrh3 (Apr 13, 2013)

Use A White Sheet With A Light Bulb Daylight Cfl, Work Best Shine The Sheet With It Hanging Up. You Will Have Tons Of Bugs On It The Next Day. You Can Even Build A Catch, I Think Yen Has A Post About This Somewhere.


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## sinensispsyched (Apr 13, 2013)

How do you tell a male carpenter bee from a female?



AndrewNisip said:


> Hey could you catch a female and male carpenter bee and send it to me? Ill pay shipping and w/e cost...if not, I understand....
> All the best,
> Andrew


Why would you want these guys? They really devastate the wood in your house/are hard to get rid of.


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## Digger (Apr 13, 2013)

sinensispsyched said:


> How do you tell a male carpenter bee from a female?
> 
> Why would you want these guys? They really devastate the wood in your house/are hard to get rid of.


You're right psyched! Horribly destructive. So get rid of them by feeding your mantids !!

Only way I can tell a male is they rarely (very rarely) land because of war dances against other males. If the bee is calmly walking around looking at crevices, wood spaces, etc, it's a female. She eats your house and carries a stinger.


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## jrh3 (Apr 14, 2013)

Digger said:


> You're right psyched! Horribly destructive. So get rid of them by feeding your mantids !!
> 
> Only way I can tell a male is they rarely (very rarely) land because of war dances against other males. If the bee is calmly walking around looking at crevices, wood spaces, etc, it's a female. She eats your house and carries a stinger.


No They Are Easy To Tell. A Male Has A Yellow Whitish Dot On His Head Between His Eyes. Females Dont.All It Takes Is One Look.


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## sinensispsyched (Apr 14, 2013)

Digger said:


> You're right psyched! Horribly destructive. So get rid of them by feeding your mantids !!
> 
> Only way I can tell a male is they rarely (very rarely) land because of war dances against other males. If the bee is calmly walking around looking at crevices, wood spaces, etc, it's a female. She eats your house and carries a stinger.


I tried, but none of my majusculas were hungry then....And since my dad didn't want em around, I stepped on them.


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## aNisip (Apr 14, 2013)

I did some research on these guys and they forage like normal bees and get the nectar and such...but as far as colony construction, there was barely anything...anybody have any more info on them?


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## sinensispsyched (Apr 14, 2013)

AndrewNisip said:


> I did some research on these guys and they forage like normal bees and get the nectar and such...but as far as colony construction, there was barely anything...anybody have any more info on them?


Are you interested in some for beekeeping? For all I've seen in the side of my house, the pairs are solitary nesters that make their nests near other bees. If you get them, they may infest the wood in/around your house by making nests in it. They can be pretty aggressive when you're near their nests as well.


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## kunturman (Apr 16, 2013)

AndrewNisip said:


> Hey could you catch a female and male carpenter bee and send it to me? Ill pay shipping and w/e cost...if not, I understand....
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Andrew


Andrew, check this:

http://entomology.cornell.edu/cals/entomology/extension/idl/upload/Carpenter-Bees.pdf


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## jrh3 (Apr 17, 2013)

Yes They Drill In My Fence All The Time But I Feed Them To My Mantids When I See them


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## Mime454 (Apr 21, 2013)

My popa female eats them fine. All my mantids eat all sorta of food with stingers, even big spiders. It really doesn't seem to bother them at all.


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## Mime454 (Apr 21, 2013)

Digger said:


> jrh,
> 
> The males hover so wildly and erratic - how do you catch them? Females do land, but I don't want to mess with them (until they start boring into my house).


I catch them so easily. They seem to be drugged from my red bud tree, plus they find each other and tackle each other to the ground. They're easy. I use a deli cup and just let them fly into it.


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