Q: Are carpenter bees good pollinators in my garden? Some articles say they are and others say they are not that beneficial.

A: I think their usefulness in a garden is doubtful. They certainly pollinate big, open flowers like sunflowers but carpenter bees are so strong they cut through the side of smaller blooms to sip nectar without carrying pollen from flower to flower. Most of my blueberry flowers are slit on the side from carpenter bee nectar robbing.

See  Carpenter Bees – Auburn

Carpenter Bees – UGA

Carpenter Bees – Cobb County Extension