Save the Big Black Bees

Top-down illustration of honey bee with wings outstretched on a white background.  Blue text around top edge of button, red text superimposed on bee's wings.

The big black bees that can be seen around houses are many times identified as carpenter bees. These bees are often seen as a nuisance, as they are able to burrow into wood and can damage housing units. Due to this affinity for wood, they were named the carpenter. Because of their ability for destruction, many homeowners will opt to hire an exterminator to get rid of them. 

Carpenter bees should not be eliminated, as they are good for more than just destroying wood. Like other bees, they play an important part in maintaining the ecosystem. Carpenter bees are excellent pollinators. In economic terms, 29 billion dollars in revenue are made from plants, gardens, and crops. Fifteen percent of these plants are pollinated by carpenter bees. Thus to save both the world’s ecosystem and profits, carpenter bees should be spared. Many movements over the years with scientific and mathematic trends as the sources have advocated to save bees of all species classifications, not exclusively black bees.