The sting of a bee or wasp is an ovipositor that evolution repurposed for venom delivery. Because males never lay eggs, they never had the structure to modify, and no male bee can sting. Male eastern carpenter bees are the ones doing the conspicuous hovering: they hold small aerial territories near nest sites, dart at passing insects, birds and people, and return to the same station.
The sexes are easy to separate at close range. Males of this species carry a pale patch on the face; females have a solid black face and can sting, though they rarely do unless handled. Both sexes are readily told from bumblebees by the abdomen, which is bare and glossy black rather than furred.
Carpenter bees do not eat wood. They chew tunnels and discard the shavings, feeding their larvae on pollen and nectar like other bees. Damage to timber accumulates because galleries are reused and extended across years rather than because a single bee removes much material.