Small carpenter bee

Small carpenter bees tunnel into soft wood on rose canes and wooden structures in Western Washington, creating round entrance holes and weakening branch tips. Unlike honey bees, they are solitary; females make individual tunnels for brood chambers. The bees are robust, often dark, and may be mistaken for bumble bees, but they lack dense body hair.

This bee is primarily a wood pest; damage to rose canes is usually minor. Holes weaken canes but rarely kill plants. Seal exposed soft wood and cut cane ends with paint to prevent tunneling. Provide attractive nesting materials elsewhere. These bees pollinate and are generally docile.