Carpenter bees do not actually eat wood. Instead, they bore into wood to create nests where they lay their eggs. Female carpenter bees use their strong mandibles to excavate tunnels and galleries inside wood, which serve as safe places for their offspring to develop. The wood is not a food source for them; they feed on nectar and pollen from flowers. The wood shavings resulting from their tunneling are discarded outside the nest. This nesting behavior can cause structural damage over time, but the bees do not consume the wood itself.
