Now, hear me out. I’m not simply advocating for anyone just willy nilly killing bees. But, today we’re going to talk about something that may, at times, become necessary. And that’s carpenter bee control.
Carpenter bee control: Overview
Carpenter bees build nests in wood. It’s where they get their names. These groups of nests are often called ‘galleries’. But, they don’t often cause too much damage. This article is going to cover what to do in those few cases that are causing real issues.
Carpenter bees are large, and similar in shape to bumblebees. They come in a range of colors but are generally pretty easy to identify. But to be clear, they do not feed on wood. They don’t behave like termites. They simply create those galleries to lay their eggs in the spring. The carpenter bee will also use these galleries as a sort of shelter in the winter.
The real issue with these galleries is that while the entry hole may be small, there’s a chance that there’s more extensive damage underneath.
Damage
The damage that you need to look out for is going to be primarily to wood. You don’t want to misidentify and try to employ carpenter bee control for something that turns out not to be a carpenter bee. They bore into wooden structures to construct nests.
The nests weaken structural wood and leave unsightly holes and stains on building surfaces. Sound, undecayed wood without paint or bark is usually selected for nests. Carpenter bees also frequently attack dead wood on trees or lumber from southern yellow pine, white pine, California redwood, cedar, Douglas fir, cypress, mimosa, mulberry, ash, and pecan trees. They avoid most hardwoods. The presence of carpenter bees around buildings and wooden structures can be annoying or even frightening; however, males cannot sting and females sting only when provoked or handled roughly.
A carpenter bee nest opens into a tunnel that follows a straight path for a few inches, then turns sharply 90-degrees and can extend for several feet to their chambers. Because the tunnels take so long to construct, females prefer to return to already constructed tunnels every year and enlarge them as needed. This increases the damage to the wood.
If unchecked, the damage from carpenter bees can completely destabilize all the wood in the area they have colonized. In addition, the presence of carpenter bees can attract woodpeckers who further burrow into the wood looking for larval stage bees to eat.
Home Remedy For carpenter bees?
Alright, now let’s go over a few easy methods of home carpenter bee control. To start, you can use dust to fill in these holes made by the bees.
Carpenter bees are pollinating insects, so you may want to learn how to get rid of carpenter bees naturally. There are several non-lethal means of getting rid of them.
Carpenter bee traps are convenient to use and offer a non-toxic method of elimination. Buy or build a trap and hang it directly above the bee hole. Bees will enter the trap believing it to be a nest and be unable to escape.
If you have a current infestation, dust with Tempo Dust in as many carpenter bee holes as possible. Fill the B&G Dust-R Duster or your chosen duster 1/2 way with dust and dust into the openings.
Although their holes appear only an inch or two deep, it usually extends at a 90-degree angle. The B&G Dust-R Duster comes with a curved tip that will fit into the 90-degree angles easier. The female will turn 90 degrees and bore a channel from 6 inches to as long as 4 feet. This channel serves as the main corridor from which she will drill small chambers a few inches deep. These chambers become egg holders. She will deposit an egg, bring in some food, and then seal it off to ensure the egg’s development.
Preventing the bees.
In carpenter bee control, prevention is the operative word. Like most other pest infestations, you’re going to want to stop this one from ever getting rolling. So here are some carpenter bee control prevention tips.
The early fall is the best time to start applying these tips, as the galleries will be empty. The young bees will have hatched and moved on, and the adults will not have settled in for the winter. Plug up their holes using putty or caulk when they’re gone, and they’ll likely try to find another spot since they’d have to start all over.
These bees prefer weathered wood and wood without a finish. Paint or varnish exposed wood surfaces around your home to make them less attractive to the bees. The most vulnerable areas are windowsills, railings, decks, fences, doors, eaves, and wooden lawn furniture.
Also, cover exterior openings to your home with fine mesh screens. That includes fixing the old storm door to your garage that’s been hanging off the hinges for half a decade. And then you can caulk small crevices and cracks to aid in keeping the bees out.
Non-toxic liquids that repel bees include solutions of water with citrus oil or almond oil. Use a spray bottle to apply around the bee holes to encourage the bees to leave the nest.
Hardwood?
Hardwood is obviously more daunting to the carpenter bees. They don’t like having to spend a lot of effort in digging out their galleries, so make sure to use hardwood when you can. You can also try loud noises for your carpenter bee control.
Loud noises and vibrations are known to repel bees, so play loud music with the speakers next to the area of infestation for 2-3 days. In this case, you’ll want to fill the holes as soon as they’ve left.
But if you have a real infestation, look into hiring a pro. Not only are these guys not very harmful, but professional pest exterminators may be able to relocate the bees without harming them, depending on the accessibility of the nest. And the layman is going to struggle with a true infestation, anyway.
