The bee doesn’t eat the wood, but instead pushes it out as she digs the tunnel. You can often find a little pile of sawdust directly under the nest; this can be a convenient way of locating the ...

Keep household trash cans covered and far away from living spaces. Wash them regularly to remove sugary or syrupy residues ...

Bumblebees or honey bees generally nest in colonies and won’t damage wood. Carpenter bees leave a telltale sign in the form of small, circular openings into their nest tunnels with piles of wood ...

(To buy a nesting block or DIY kit, Google “bee nest” to find retail sources online.) A good size to start with is 4 inches wide, 6 inches deep and about 1 foot tall.

Bees are not fussy and simply want shelter from the elements and a suitable place to nest. Start with a block of wood that is 4 inches wide, 6 inches deep and about 1 foot tall.

“You have to really try hard to get stung by a bee,” Lowenstein told News 8. “Bees are out searching for two things. When they leave their nest, they want pollen and they want nectar.

The other 30 percent of solitary bees – the cavity-nesters, require a bit more effort to lure into an area. These bees use hollow plant stems or holes in trees left by wood-boring beetles.

The other 30 percent nest in dead trees and stems (wood nesters). Almost all native bees live alone, not in colonies. Passive by nature, bees won’t usually sting unless squashed or pinched.

Carpenter bees, native to the Eastern U.S., are often mistaken for bumblebees but nest in wood. Mining bees are beneficial pollinators and their burrowing activity is not harmful to vegetation.

If you’ve spent any time outdoors in Kentucky this spring, you may have noticed those large, black bees hovering about the eaves and rafters of your porch or deck, carving holes in the wood.