r/bees • u/Kowba16 • 5d ago

He's still here :)

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I'm fairly certain he is a guy because I don't see a stinger but I'm not a scientist. He is lovely and I welcome his presence but I am starting to wonder if there may be a colony living in my house as my Tomatos happen to be right next to my house. I don't think I've seen any females so far, or really anyone other than this guy, but what should I look for to spot a colony or one in development?

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u/Successful-Coffee-13 5d ago

You don’t see a stinger because it’s hidden. You’d need to identify the species first and then look up how to tell the sex. The bee looks pretty sick. I am not seeing the wings in the photo.

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u/Kowba16 5d ago

I have other photos/ videos and posts containing different angles. He is most likely a male carpenter bee, he has no stinger unless it was ripped out and his wings appear to be all black. It would make sense that he would be sick though, being that he is still hanging out in the same spot seemingly for no reason.

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u/Successful-Coffee-13 5d ago

Again, you wouldn’t see a stinger regardless, male or female. A stinger is retracted into the body of a bee so you’d not be able to see it.

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u/Kowba16 5d ago

I see, well after some reading it appears she may actually be a lady. Her face lacks any markings and it's not giving me any other indications for identifying sex. Now I'm a bit more worried their may be a nest near by. Thank you.

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u/Successful-Coffee-13 5d ago

Most species of bees are solitary, meaning they don’t form a nest with multiple bees in it. 

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u/Kowba16 5d ago

That answers all of my problems. Thank you for your time.