Carpenter bee sting

What is a carpenter bee, does a carpenter bee sting and what happens if one stings you? Find out in this article.

What is a carpenter bee?

A carpenter bee is a large, spherical bee about one to one and a half inches long. They like to bore perfectly round half inch holes in soft wood where they lay their eggs.

Carpenter bees fly around where they drill their holes and lay their eggs and can seem quite menacing and threatening. They are very persistent in their presence and can hover around the area. Since they are so large, this can be a nuisance and scary to many.

If you have carpenter bees and want to get rid of them, read this article on some sure fire ways to get them to leave and never come back. My personal favorite, WD40.

Does a carpenter bee sting?

Only the female carpenter bee stings. Male carpenter bees lack the ability to sting. Carpenter bee stings are rare as you really need to typically provoke a female carpenter bee in order to get her to sting you. If you stick your finger in her burrow or otherwise antagonize her, yes, you may get stung.

Carpenter bees will often “bomb” you, circling around you if you are near their burrows, but they rarely sting.

What should you do if you get stung by a carpenter bee?

Carpenter bee stings should be treated like any other type of bee sting. If possible, try to extract the stinger if it has bee left in your skin. Then, use ice to reduce swelling and consider taking an antihistamine if your skin is having a reaction.

If you are allergic to bees, then of course you should follow the protocol your doctor recommends which may include prescribed medication and/or a trip to the emergency room.