Giant slow staggering bumble bees?

Question

I live in Atlanta, within the last few weeks I have noticed an increasing amount of huge bumble bees around my apartment complex. These bees are much larger than your typical bumble bee, and not as "furry", they are just massive, but they just stagger around and appear very lethargic. One day I was opening my trunk and one of them flew from a tree and into my trunk and just sat on my golf bag and didn't move. I thought maybe it was dead so I flicked it off but it just kind of walked around in my trunk. Then today, at the base of my steps leading up to my apartment, I noticed 3 of these bees dead on the ground and one that was just staggering around. I know some of you may be animal lovers, and I am too, I hardly ever kill anything, I don't even like killing ants. But anyway, I stepped on the staggering bee and it made a huge popping sound when I killed it. It sounded like the poppers that you throw on the ground on the 4th of July. I just wondered if anyone might now what's going on.

Answer 1

Sounds like those may be carpenter bees.
http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef611.asp

They seem like "bumbling" bumble bees -- and I've always found them to be very non-aggressive, although the site says that they can be aggressive during "mating" time.

As for why they are appearing "dead" when they aren't, it may simply be that this is they time of year when they start to die off -- or there may have been some spraying done in the area that affected them (like mosquito spraying), etc.

Answer 2

i live just below you, i am south macon. if i was you, i would try to catch some of them and take them to your vet, or try to find a bee keeper. maybe they can help you out.