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Small Carpenter Bees

Ceratina species[3]

Small carpenter bees are tiny, shiny black bees with blue or green highlights that hollow out nests in the pith of broken weed stems and freshly cut rose canes; they are gentle pollinators but can make rose canes die back.[1][2]

Group
Insect
Order
Hymenoptera
Family
Apidae
US records
43 states
Sources
3 cited
Updated
2026-10-16
Small carpenter bee, a tiny metallic blue-black bee on a flower
Small carpenter bee, a tiny metallic blue-black bee on a flower. (c) James Kindt, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Look-alikes
  3. Where it lives
  4. Biology
  5. Damage and signs
  6. Health risk
  7. Control
  8. Related profiles
  9. Common questions
  10. Sources

How to identify it

  • They are 3/16 to 3/8 inch long, black to bluish green and iridescent, sometimes with yellowish-white marks on the face, thorax and legs.[1][2]
  • A hollowed cane end with a narrow tunnel down the pith is the usual sign.[1][2]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Carpenter beesThe large Xylocopa carpenter bees bore into wooden beams and bare logs; small carpenter bees use plant stems.[1]
Rose stem girdler and cane borersOther causes of dying rose and bramble canes.[2]

Where it lives

Found across the eastern and central United States, including North Carolina and Minnesota.[1][2]

US map: public records from 43 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

A single female bores down into the pith of a stem, makes a series of cells and provisions each with a pollen-and-nectar ball and one egg; nests range from 1 1/4 to 12 inches deep.[1]

Adults are active from April through September and gather pollen from at least 25 plant families, including rose, blackberry and daisies.[1][2]

Damage and signs

  • Nests are usually in dead canes, but tunneling in healthy rose, sumac or elder canes can kill the cane back to the depth of the nest; NC State calls this fairly rare.[1][2]

Health risk

Not aggressive; they are pollinators.[1]

Control

Prevention

Avoid insecticides; these bees are sensitive to them and are useful pollinators.[1]

Keep them out

Seal freshly cut rose stems with tree wound paint so the bees nest elsewhere.[1]

Common questions

What tiny shiny bee is tunneling into my rose canes?
Likely a small carpenter bee (Ceratina).[1][2]
How do I stop them?
Seal fresh rose cuts with tree wound paint.[1]
Do they sting?
They are not aggressive and are valued pollinators.[1]

Sources

  1. NC State Extension, “Small Carpenter Bees (PDIC Factsheet).” content.ces.ncsu.edu/small-carpenter-bees (accessed 2026-10-16)
  2. University of Minnesota Extension (What insect is this? diagnostic pages), “Small carpenter bees.” apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/insect/garden/flies/small/smallcarpenterbee.html (accessed 2026-10-16)
  3. iNaturalist, “Ceratina taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/155108 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-16. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.