Studies of Carpenter Bees, watercolor and ink.
You know there are interesting things all around us to discover, some are right under our noses…or under our eaves! I have known about Carpenter Bees but never paid them much attention, until this year. I caught one and started to draw it from life, safely keeping it in a plastic container under a screen. I did the studies above from life, then just for fun added the little quick sketch bees as a border around it. I put the green after to add color and liven it up, and the red and blue ribbon with an arrow was just me messing around!
Female Carpenter Bee I captured for study.
It seems the bees LOVE the eaves under my back porch, and are making their home there.It may not have bothered me much before, then I watched a video about the damage they can do to your timber. Uh oh. This is a photo of the female bee, you can clearly see the abdomen (end part) is shiny black, unlike the bumble bee which is nice and fuzzy black. It also has a spot on it’s back where there are no bristles, like a bald patch.
Front view shows no light patch that the males have.
Oh my, look at those choppers! The female will chew and cut wood with her mouth parts, so I wouldn’t want her landing on my arm! Yikes! Actually, the female can sting and the male cannot. I liked this view though, with her wings sort of up, head down.
Male Carpenter Bee in flight, showing the light patch.
After I drew the bees and photographed the female, I got curious about the bees and that’s when I looked them up online and did a little research. From my upstairs bathroom window you can see the males around the porch eaves below, like they are guarding territory. The male is easy to tell by the light patch on it’s face, it will look whitish to you, but a book said it was yellow. Isn’t this a cool picture? It took me many, many tries just to get the few blurry pictures I have here! I like how he has his antennae up while flying, his little legs tucked under.
Side view of male bee in flight.
Look at this shot!, he’s so stout looking.
Rear view of Carpenter Bee in flight.
This is one from behind, now that definitely looks stout! How does he hold himself up with those little wings?
Here's a close up of my sketch so you can see it better.
This close up shows how the wings are folded over the back.
Here’s a close up that shows the wings folded over the back, you’d never know there were actually 4 wing parts when you look at it. There is two on each side, just like butterflies; each has a forewing and hindwing.
Check out this article about Carpenter Bee Control, complete with videos! Then you’ll see why I need to get rid of the bees.
The research on these beasties sure helps to get a clearer understanding of the makeup of the anatomy for drawing. Thank you for showing me this aspect of drawing. Maxine
It’s too bad they chose your house to make a home in. I wonder if exterminators or bee keepers could move them rather than kill them all. I never see the four wings either and playing a game with my grandchildren I learned their wings move about a thousand times a minute which is probably the way those tiny wings keep that bigger body aloft. Nice page. I like how you did your ribbon too.
What an interesting and informative post – and a great sketch too! I don’t believe we have those bees in the UK – probably as well!
Fascinating little things but I think you’re right to get rid of them!
Great post! I enjoyed learning about the bees as well as seeing your excellent drawings of them.
Hi Maxine, thanks for stopping by. I agree, the more you can study and understand something the better your drawing will be. I stopped by your blog, looks like you get up to some fun stuff! Love the tag you made and your frogs.
Fantastic! Love the sketches, the photos and the info! I had a couple of carpenter bees in my patio cover but didn’t take the time to investigate like you did. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Deborah, yeah, these bees may not be as scary as wasps (which I usually get under my eaves) but I learned that the female can tunnel into wood for several feet, and have many chambers along this tunnel for larvae! I have many holes now and will have to do something about them I guess. That video link I included really explains it well. I enjoy studying insects more than ever, I guess the more you learn the less ‘yuchy’ some are! haha… thanks for your comment
Hi Lynn, thanks so much! I stopped by your blog, one of my best friends is a library tech, she’s the best person for organization!
Hi Cathy, yes, fascinating but becoming pests. I hate using chemicals around my house but I may have to hire an exterminator to come out…the holes they made are up a bit high for me to reach.
Hi Margaret,
Well I guess what we have in pests you probably have something else eh? There are always pests wherever you go! I like to not only draw from nature but study things and understand them. Things that seemed kind of ‘everyday’ become so much more interesting.
Hi Timaree, well they could be moved to my old barn, but I remember seeing one nest hole YEARS ago…I guess they prefer my house now! I could really see the 4 wings once I took some pictures and looked at some dead bees from the porch. Thanks about the ribbon too, I like doing decorative things sometimes, this one was so colorful, thought I’d include it.
Love the sketches =) nice journal!
Great studies and photos! Really well done! I have heard that carpenter bees are much maligned and that they rarely harm wooden structures to any great extent.
Thanks Nancy, well it could be true. I left them alone for years but this year oh wow, there seems to be bees everywhere and SOOO many holes! I am worried that it’s just NOT good for my porch! I hate killing any kind of things even if they’re pests, I know that everything has a place and purpose and they may kill other pests, or pollinate flowers?? Not sure. But I think a ‘bit’ of active reclaiming of territory may be necessary on my part. I’m pretty lazy about taking care of things like this and usually it works out ok, hey I noticed I have like hardly any nasty wasps nesting under the eaves!! I’d rather have carpenter bees than them! 🙂
ps. dropped by your blog, very nice work!
I found this via your Facebook posting. Wow, I knew nothing about carpenter bees! I was fascinated by your posting about them.
Hi Sherry, so glad you found me, are you in one of the groups I’m in there? Carpenter bees are interesting, as I found out myself. I just wish they’d go attack the falling down old barn next store! I checked out your blog, I like your painting style…have you ever heard of the “Group of Seven” , Canadian artists? Your trees reminded me of them, check it out.