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carpenter bee problem

6K views 16 replies 13 participants last post by  Engloid 
#1 ·
Coulpe days ago we notice a large bee with a big black butt flying around are back proch. He seemed harmless enough so we named him Sam. Then we saw some sawdust on the porch deck where directly above Sam bored a little hole on the underside of the wood porch railing. Now Sam doesn't seem so harmless anymore. Sam is Samantha and making a nest in our porch. She has friends that are making new nest. Does anyone know how to deter carpenter bees?
 
#7 ·
Don't think you people are alone. We have plenty of carpenter bees here in S. GA. If you read up on these you may read that they only like older unpainted woods---NOT! I have them drilling into recently painted wood here on my home and leaving alone pieces of older wood I have hung around my garage to attract them. I've tried many methods to get rid of them, including taking the dead ones, tying strings to them, and hanging them near where the others are drilling. The live one's don't mind the dead one's just hanging around. I'm now using Wasp spray, the kind that shoots maybe 15 ft. or so. When you see on start into the hole, just spray it and the hole, later you may find a dead carpenter bee lying near. David
 
#8 ·
We used to call them 3/8 bees. Measure the hole, perfect 3/8".

They love cedar. Had an issue and the wasp spray in the hole tends to work. Never used the tennis racket like scuba but did use one of the big wiffle ball bats.

Plugging the hole after the spray would probably work well like mentioned above. Your own homemade gas chamber.

Good luck
 
#9 ·
I had some small (small fly size)bees that i discovered while mowing the lawn.Then one day a little fly lands on my blue painted t-11.He gets smaller.Then smaller and smaller.He dis a #*%!*pears.I was 4' away and it took 6secs? I only looked at it because it looked like a weird/different fly.I walk to the siding and there's a bit under 1/4" half moon hole.What was that? A little person wood butcher bee?:stupid::laughing:
 
#10 ·
I find the wasp and hornet spray to be a great deterrant. Get the kind that jet streams not the kind that foams. They recommend spraying in the morning but I hit them when ever I see them, just get the kids inside first. You hit the nest that takes care of the problem. The stragglers will go away after a while. Some people say "leave them alone, they have a right to live", but I'm the only one paying the bills at my house.:biggrin:
 
#11 ·
I initially did not bother spraying them (1st bought house)
Then when redoing the back of my house I pulled off a piece of 1x6 that virtually fell apart
They had chewed the thing to pieces making their nest
So now I kill them whenever I see them
I see less now then the 1st 2 years I was here

I also keep an eye on the fence & trim on the house
Usually looking for sawdust is the telltale sign
 
#12 ·
I see them around my shed in the spring, but I just whack them whenever I see them hovering around. Very intimidating, but the don't/can't sting as far as I know so no fear of that. I used to kill them at my parents house by spraying in the holes with wd40 they would come backing out and I'd just wallop them with a swatter.
 
#15 ·
For carpenter bees you need to dust in their holes to get them out. Once they are out then plug up the holes with some type of cork or wood filler and restain the wood. By restaining or putting some type of finish on the wood this will mask the pheromones that are causing the bees to return to the same spots every year. Once you dust, get ready cause they will start buzzing in the wood and then start flying out, but dont worry they wont attact you, just fly around alittle bit then die. It's actually pretty cool.
 
#16 ·
If the above doesn't work, call a bee keeper. I had a BIG hive under my shed last year that cost me 1/4 of the floor. I got swarmed a couple of times, but no stingers. I'm one of the most unlucky people in the world too. If they do have stingers they probably won't use them.
 
#17 ·
I don't think this is an "approved" method, but it's just what I have done.

the aerosol carburetor cleaner that you buy at car parts stores works amazingly well on ANY insect. It kills nearly instantly. Must be some sort of chemical that attacks their nervous system. It will drop a bumble bee or carpenter bee right out of the air. The small spray tubes work well for spraying inside holes that they have bored. When you see one go in a hole, just spray some inside and within a few seconds, they normall fall out to the ground and die.
 
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