I've read that honeybees are incapable of intitially piercing the skin of fruit but that they are drawn to the sugar during drought. I'm not surprised carpenter bees could easily accomplish this since they can drill into wood. My main pollinators are carpenter bees and I've never seen one do this to my Shiros or any other plum. I would be very reluctant to eliminate the car. bees on my property because they are such an asset, being the earliest and strongest bees I got going- and I've got lots of other buzzers. They're out there in the spring in my fruit trees when it's too cool and wet for most anything else. You can go after their nests in various ways. If that's your intention, just do a little search on the internet. If subsequently you have difficulty with pollination you'll probably regret going after them, however.

what I wouldent give to have a leaf cutter this year. I fought off the aphids and then the ants but VERY few bees. I plant a few things to bring them in and I am heartbroken because I am missing them this year. the "damage" they do has never really hurt my roses and I am happy to see them come back to visit my fresh blooms. I am begging anyone who sees them to please just leaf them bee.

Carpenter bee? Looks like a giant bumblebee but has a shiny butt. Bumblebees have a fuzzy one. Paint is a deterrent.

Are you by chance referring to a large swarm that settled on the limb and built a bit of comb? If so, they moved on by themselves. A swarm will cluster on a convenient limb while the scouts locate a suitable cavity for a hive. Then they may fly another mile or just a few feet to that new hive location. A swarm will usually alight for a few hours to a few days, but then they find a hive and move in.