It takes a keen eye to differentiate between carpenter bees and bumble bees. It is easier simply to watch their behavior and, in particular, see where they nest. Bumble bees tend to nest in the ground, while carpenter bees bore holes in wood, including your house.
Male Carpenter Bees
Dip, dodge and duck, but there's no need to strike back.
Males make aggressive darts and passes, sometimes actually hitting you, to keep you away from their nest, but they will not sting. They don't have stingers.
Female Carpenter Bees
Tending to her nest all day, the female doesn't have time to bother with you. She can sting but won't, unless handled or harassed.
Property Damage
Damage to your home, outdoor wood furnishings and play sets can become costly over time, especially if the nesting sites are used repeatedly. Carpenter bees tend to prefer plain wood and will often, but not always, shy away from painted wood.
Prevention
Success in preventing the bees is limited to painting and applying pesticides to surfaces they are known to bore into, but its exposure to the elements makes the active life of pesticides short in most cases.
Treatment
Applying pesticide dust lightly into their holes is the most effective method to kill them. Spraying, especially aerosols, will cause then to abandon their nest and start a new one--meaning another hole in your home.
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