As the pics show, this is a large bug about 1 1/4" long as an adult, and close to 1/2" across. The body is heavy and gloss black except for yellow hair on the thorax. As someone has noted, those with "white faces" are alleged to be harmless and non-stinging; but these things are intimidating enough that I never had the brass to find out for myself. These things use their mandibles to bore the neatest holes you can imagine in a piece of wood; each, like the bug itself, approximately 1/2" in diameter; and I'm always amazed at what they choose to bore. Besides wooden buildings, they will even bore small things like wooden rake handles; and several times I've started to use a rake, or shovel, etc and have the handle snap because one of those rascals drilled and hollowed the handle. At one time treated wood was safe from wood borers; but since arsenic was eliminated from the treatment formula, treated wood is not a solution either. After my old lab lady passed on, I lost my desire to own another dog; but noticed after she was gone that all the carpenter bees swarming the kennel area disappeared. Was there a relationship there? Don't know; but do know that shooting/swapping these things as they whiz by, or hover can be addictive. As a kid living out in the country where many of the old farm houses were constructed of unpainted wood, everyone had more than their share; and for entertainment we kids would pop those buggars with BB guns as they paused to hoover. In the late 70's there was a high-dollar gun shop in Atlanta called Atlanta Outfitters; they had some fabulous double guns, all of which were far out of my meager budget. But I stopped there on one occasion and had the privilege to examine a .22 rim fire best quality double rifle (a Westley Richards, I think?); and now that we've decided to make a sport out of carpenter bee shooting, I can't conceive of a better weapon for the purpose.
