Unfortunately, the sugar water trap doesn’t discriminate. Far from being a nuisance, bumblebees are some of the world’s most prolific pollinators and play an important role in our global ecosystem. While a simple bee trap with sugar water may be a guaranteed way to catch a few more carpenter bees this year, you might also attract a host of other potent pollinators, like honeybees and bumblebees. Type “feeding sugar water to bees” into any of your preferred search engines, and you're bound to get a litany of angry beekeepers warning you against it – and, perhaps, for good reason! While Doug Somerville, a technical specialist in honeybees with New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, notes that “bees are twice as attracted to sugar syrup than they are to honey 5,” there are also myriad less-than-desirable consequences to making carpenter bee traps out of sugar water.įirst and foremost, we have to take into consideration that all bees like sugar. 4 Female carpenter bees collect pollen and nectar to bring back to their nests. When the carpenter bee egg hatches, the larva will eat the mixture of pollen and nectar as its first source of food. Within each of these “rooms” the female carpenter bee will lay an egg on a ball of pollen and nectar she’s gathered. In their foraging of wild plants, carpenter bee females will collect pollen and nectar to bring back to the elaborate chambers that they burrow inside parcels of wood. Though the name Xylocopa roughly translates to “woodcutter 3,” it is not true that carpenter bees feed on wood! Just like bumblebees and honeybees, carpenter bees are attracted to sugar (e.g., nectar) for energy. In this way, carpenter bees are no different from their honeybee cousins. Most bee species also use the combination of nectar and pollen to produce a nutrient-rich food for their larvae 2. If nectar is the quick and immediate energy source (picture a toddler with a handful of candy straws), then the collected grains of pollen act as a rich source of protein and other nutrients not found in quick-fix nectar. However, just as humans couldn’t survive on a diet of junk food and sugar, bees of all species also require an infusion of protein in their diets. ![]() Unlike pure sugar, nectar also includes nutrients like vitamins, oils and amino acids 1. For reference, the concentration of sugar in Coca-Cola is 10%. ![]() Nectar can vary widely in sweetness from as little as 8% to as high as 50%. The former is a sweet liquid secreted by plants, especially flowers. Many people are aware a variety of bees, like the one pictured above, are attracted to sugar water, but are carpenter bees? Photo Credit - Kellogg Garden ProductsĪll bees rely on two sources of food to survive: nectar and pollen. But before we dive into the specifics of carpenter bees, let’s take a closer look at how bees in general use sugar, and more importantly, why. The short answer to this question is: yes, they certainly do. But what about when it comes to the best bait for carpenter bee traps? Does sugar water really work, or is it just another overhyped myth? Are carpenter bees even attracted to sugar? We’re going to answer all that and more. When it comes to removing unwanted pests, oftentimes the simpler the solution, the better the outcome.
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