Journal Entry #9- Carpenter Bees -

This last week I’ve been watching the carpenter bees in the backyard. They are new to me, so each day I sat outside, I watched them from my lawn chair while I soaked up some sun on my white legs.

I noticed that while one bee would enter a hole in the wooden fence, another one hovered outside, turning this way and that way, and then would suddenly dart off and be gone. Or there would be several of the bees bumping into each other all over the yard like bumper cars at the fair.

Their bodies are heavy for the tiny wings that carry them, and their big round butts reminded me of eggplants, shiny and black. If the sunlight hits them just right, you can see the blur from how fast their wings move.

I wondered what they were actually doing, these bees that chased each other, crashing into each other and flying off. It reminded me of the scene in the Star Wars movie The Phantom Menace of the pod race in the desert. Complete with the humming and droning sounds.

After taking time to observe them, and taking some notes, I looked them up on the internet. I discovered that the one going into the hole in the wooden fence was the female and she was excavating tunnels where she would lay her eggs.

The one hovering was the male and his job was to protect the female and the eggs. He chased off anything that came into his territory. As I watched him, I saw that he not only chased off other males, but also a falling leaf and a stray insect that flew across the yard.

These bees were so fun to watch, they inspired this poem:

The Carpenter Bee

cShanna Lea 2021

He hovers in front of her nest

As she crawls into the hole

In the wooden fence

Carrying her gathering of nectar

He turns this way,

and watches.

Turns that way,

and watches.

Humming like a drone.

Another male flies

Through his territory.

And he chases him off,

Their two round black heavy bodies

Remind me of eggplants,

As they bumble and push each other,

Then dart across the yard,

disappearing over the fence.

He comes back and hovers.

Turns this way,

and watches.

Turns that way,

and watches.

Humming like a drone.

Meanwhile, she goes about her business of

Bringing life into the world.

Bee Notebooks!

If you love carpenter bees and honey bees, you might be interested in some of the notebook covers I designed with bees on them. Use them for journaling, taking notes, for school or work.

Notebook: Bee and Sunflower with Pink Garden Bucket Design