Wintertime
The carpenter bee adult spends the winter inside the tunnels of its nest, which the female creates by chewing into soft wood. The males come out in the springtime, followed by the females a short time later.
Egg Compartment
The female carpenter bee lays one egg in its nest and places a ball of pollen in with it before sealing off this compartment with a combination of chewed wood and saliva.
Young Bees
The egg hatches and the young bee will eat the pollen ball to maintain it. In five to seven weeks, the bee grows into its adult form and comes out of the nest for the rest of the summer.
Death
The male and female adult bees that have lived through one winter and undertaken the task of laying the eggs and protecting the nest die shortly after they have accomplished this task.
New Adults
The new adults that have recently left their nest will consume pollen during the summer before they find an old nest to clean out and live in when cold weather sets in.