Wondering what kind of bee this is? I purposely was looking for leaf cutter bees in the sunflower patch yesterday morning. They carry pollen on their abdomen so not that one. It was eerily quiet with only two bees buzzing around. Some years its a madhouse of bees in the patch.
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Very likely a Xylocopa (carpenter bee) given its size and shiny abdomen. A quick Google search suggests a black carpenter bee.
Theyâre generally good pollinators, friendly, and donât actually do damage to treated wood as long as itâs painted and not super old.
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My neighbor makes carpenter bee traps with the jar at the bottom. And they are usually half full of dead bees⌠he cant stand them boring into his covered porch.
I let them do their thing myselfâŚ
Carpenter bees are beneficial if you grow things and incredibly efficient pollinatorsâŚbut a pest to folks who dont understand that. Traps can be bought just about anywhere that has a garden center nowadays.
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Very sad 
. I wish people would learn to work with nature instead of fight it. I learn that more and more as I grow older, ripping out plants that donât work and replacing them with those that are effortless.
Maybe if he didnât want carpenter bees he shouldâve done a better job with varnish, or used a more aptly treated wood. Feels like a dick move to the bees to have lured them in with a perfect nesting spot and then kill them for it 
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well my friend it gets worse than that if you are like me. Folks actually buy bait to lure them in to kill them⌠on top of their perfect nesting place
There are even traps for honey bees⌠i think there is a trap for everything alive to be honest.
Technically everything on Earth is a pest to an ignorant human.
Poisons/Traps/Baits⌠huge market for everything in this âmodern worldâ.
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I fully agree with all the sentiments you expressed here. But in this one instance I donât think this is anything nefarious. This is for beekeepers trying to capture and house swarms from their own or nearby hives. Bees are worth good money!
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Agreed. If youâve ever priced a âstarterâ set of worker bees and a queen it can be up to $200. Not something to toss away.
Around here there is a hot line, where people who have a bee swarm âannoyingâ them can call, and a beekeeper will come out to take their swarm.
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