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2 years ago I set up an old fruit tree trunk for the first time. The first year the blue carpenter bees nested there and in late summer I had 8 young large insects on my zinnias. This year I tried a new trunk and they were there straight away. More than I had hoped for. At the peak I estimate at least 12 black carpenter bees that had drilled ovipositors into the wood and laid their eggs. At the moment they are still busy laying eggs and searching for pollen. Around 10 eggs are laid in each tunnel, which can be up to 30 cm long. They are supplied with pollen and individually protected with walls. The young then hatch in late summer. The parent does not die until next year. Most of the bees overwinter in the drilled tubes. Now I can only wait with excitement to see what kind of population I will have in autumn.