Wood-boring bees
I'm not entirely sure if this should go here or not, but it seems to be the best fit. Anybody got any good ways to keep those big, fat wood-boring bees from boring into the house and deck? They keep making holes in my windowsills! The paint doesn't seem to bother them much, either. Ways to get rid of them/plug up the holes would also be appreciated.
Thanks!
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Those are mason bees
You should encourage them, not try to stop them! They're very beneficial in your garden. More on mason bees. You can plug up holes with caulk if you don't want them going into particular holes but if you have them, try putting out a "bee box" for them to nest in.
Lynn Siprelle, Editor
I think those are something different
I looked at the pictures, and the mason bees don't look like what I'm seeing. I think we've got carpenter bees--they look more like this, and they do leave small, perfectly round holes. I can actually hear them munching away in the windowsills, and they're what flies out when disturbed. All the wood in our trim is already painted, but they don't seem to care much! I don't really want to spray insecticides all over the house to discourage them, and I wondered if anyone had any other ideas. I don't care if they're in my garden (in fact, they very well may be beneficial there), but I don't want them damaging my house.
good heavens!
I'd never even heard of carpenter bees--carpenter ANTS, you bet. Learn sumpin new ever day round here.
Lynn Siprelle, Editor
Help get rid of carpenter bees
We have an invasion of the carpenter bees here in North Georgia. They are literally eating the front porch off our house. We have tried sprays, powders, filling the holes, you name it, all in vain. Is there anyone out there who can help us get rid of them? Surely there is something? A type of paint that repells them, etc? We are at our wits end, and our porch is 12 X 64, so they have lots of wood to ruin. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
CARPENTER BEES
Help!!!! I've got Carpenter Bees alos. They are boring thru all the wood in my shed. I have sprayed wasp & hornet killer into the holes and 100's of bees come swarmming out and die. Then a few days later there are more bees in the same spots. you would think with all the spray on the wood it would discourage them.....
Wood Bees
I would like to comment on this as I had the same problem, They are called carpenter bees the males have no stingers, they just hover around the nest area to protect. The females do have stingers but will seldom sting unless extremely provoked, the males will hover around you and buzz really loud this is their only defense mechanism. You can get rid of them by using a special tool that can travel up into the hole where the Drione dust is sprayed. Once that is done and it should be done at night, you just want to let the bees continue to do their thing, Once fall comes, plug up the holes with wood putty or something and this should take care of the infestation.
Maybe they're an East Coast critter?
If you're on the West Coast, you might not have them out there. I don't know. I never heard of the mason bees before, myself.
Carpenter Bees
I have these all around my yard (I have wood siding on my house and a wood swing set out back) and they are making holes in everything and chasing my little one away from his play areas. So I just wanted to let you what I found on the web regarding these bees.
Prevention is the main approach to managing carpenter bees. If possible, susceptible exterior parts of a building should be constructed out of hardwoods not normally attacked by the bees for nests. On all buildings, fill depressions and cracks in wood surfaces so they are less attractive. Paint or varnish exposed surfaces regularly to reduce weathering. Fill unoccupied holes with steel wool and caulk to prevent their reuse. Wait until after bees have emerged before filling the tunnels. Once filled, paint or varnish the repaired surfaces. Protect rough areas, such as ends of timbers, with wire screening or metal flashing.
Carpenter bees are generally considered beneficial insects because they help pollinate various crop and noncrop plants. Under most conditions they can be successfully controlled using the preventive measures described above. If infestation is high or risk of damage is great, insecticides may be used to augment other methods of control. To do this, treat active nests (those containing eggs, larvae, or pupae) with liquid or dust formulations of insecticides or desiccant dusts. Liquid formulations containing permethrin and cyfluthrin and dusts containing boric acid are currently labeled for use against carpenter bees. Desiccant dusts are inert dusts combined with absorptive powders (diatomaceous earth or boric acid) that destroy insects by abrading their protective outer body cover, causing them to dry out. Desiccant dusts are low in toxicity to people and animals and do not lose their effectiveness over time, so long as they do not get wet. Avoid inhaling these materials, however, because they can cause serious lung irritation.
Hope this helps you out.
wood boring bee repellant?
Did you get any response to your request for a repellant? I enclosed patio area last year and immediately discovered that I'd provided a home and ongoing buffet for these wood boring bees. It is spring again and they are back in droves! I wonder if you have found something that works? My gut reaction is to buy a lot of fresh jalapeno peppers and smear the beams with a paste of peppers and stuff pieces of pepper in the holes. I am hoping that this would cause a nasty reaction and the bees would move on to another place. I am anxious to learn what anyone has tried that worked in getting rid of these bees.
I haven't found any repellent for them...
...but some of the suggestions in the comments look helpful! We've still got these bees, but I haven't had much time to deal with them lately. Peppers are an interesting idea, though I have no idea whether they'd affect bees or not. Good luck!
carpenter bees
I was just wondering if you tried using the Jalapeno peppers, and if it worked. That is a very interesting and safe idea... Best of luck to you..
boring bees
Try spraying or brushing on hydraulic fluid. It will dry in about a week or two. It works
wood-boring bees
The only thing I've found to get rid of these bees is spraying the area with disel fuel. Be careful though since disel fuel is very flammable. Multiple cans of Raid are no good and expensive.
carpenter bees
I heard that used sheets of Bounce will keep bees away and thought what the heck, I'll try anything. They worked wonderfully with wasps and yellow jackets but have had NO effect on keeping the carpenter bees away. I guess we'll just avoid the front porch until next month (I was glad to read that they usually a problem only in March and April)
These bees have been visiting
These bees have been visiting me everytime I work in my vegetable garden. I notied a perfectly drilled hole in oneof my posts and thought it may have been done by the person who put the fence up last year. Today I saw sawdust on my potato plants and looked in the hole - only to see the fat bee bobbing it's little head around in the hole watching me. THey actually hang around me as I'm working as if watching me - very strange and annoying.
I'm reading these posts and also articles about the collapse of bee colonies and am thinking that I may need these bees to pollinate my garden. I noticed we did not have the normal amount of bees on our 3 apple trees that just blossomed and if these guys pollinate, then I don't want to kill them. I do hope they stay away from the house, but just a thought - with the large loss of the bee population, if you don't have to kill these guys (if they're not eating your home that is ), maybe we want to keep them around? I've been trying to look for info on this - nothing specifically adressing this problem found.
Carpenter bees
I wanted to share that plugging up the holes with caulk and then painting with outdoor deck paint (heavy duty stuff) has helped our carpenter bee problem. They seem to have given up on chewing my porch. =)
I also noticed that my homemade cleaning solution seems to keep them away (it may be toxic to them?). I try to avoid harsh chemicals, especially in my home, so I've been cleaning with a solution of 1:1 vinegar and water, plus a dash of baking soda, in a spray bottle.
I'd love to hear if others have the same results. Godspeed and blessings!
Wood/Carpenter Bees
Hi Everyone. I am on the prowl for an effective treatment to prevent the wood bees from devouring my Mom's home (it is made of cedar wood). She used the services of Terminex (bug control people) for over a year, but they are still eating away her home. Does anyone have a helpful remedy? Thanks so much.
Carpenter bees
I have a hillbilly friend that says the only way to rid yourself of these pests is to used transmission fluid and treat your wood. Mixing the oil into oil based stain is not a problem. Spray directly onto wood surfaces that can be done without sacrifice to the beauty of the structure. He swears by it and so far I see results.
Carpenter/Boring bees
These things are a pain, aren't they?
Here's what I did...I used Sevin dust, on the recommendation of some website I found, and applied it with a dust sprayer. I don't see the exact duster I used, but here's one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BX4R8W/ref=cm_rdp_product_img
The way I applied it was, I got a piece of aquarium tubing and taped it into the nose of the duster. That way, I could put the tubing way into the bee's hole and spray the dust far up into the chambers, which are quite extensive and serve as nurseries for the little buggers.
I then took some dowels and cut them into small pieces (I used pruning shears, since I don't have a saw) and used carpenter's glue to plug up the holes with them.
It was a lot of work, and required a ladder, but it took care of the bees quite well for a few years...they're back now, but at least it worked for a while.
Carpenter Bees
Well, after almost accusing my kid of drilling the underneath of a step to the deck (made from PT wood btw) I decided to take a closer look, a 3/8" perfectly round hole. I plugged it with caulk. Two days later the caulk was on the ground and more sawdust. I grabbed Wasp & Hornet spray and removed the step. I turned it upside-down investigating the hole, when a carpenter bee started to emerge. Sorry, but for the benefit of my son and dog, the bee didn't make it out alive.
Because I'm the inquisitive type, I poured water in the hole to see how much it would take, more than I imagined, at least 1.5 ounces. I drained it and filled it with some of my carpenter's urethane wood glue (cures when it reacts with water) and plugged the hole with a 3/8" plastic cap.
For those of you interested
For those of you interested in exercising, I have heard of frustrated people buying badminton rackets, and when the bees are active swat at them. There is also a battery-opearted racket that might electrocute the bees. Just be careful not to hit yourself, others or pets as the electrical jolt is pretty intense.
Boring Bee
They are a nusance.. we are painting underneath of our deck blue thinking the boring bees would stay away. will guess what they are back and still drilling for more wood.. i hate those things. we are staining the deck thinking they would not like the stain.. that has not stopped them we swat at them with a broom knock them down and step on them. they are fast.!!
Boring Bees
I have Boring Bees (Carpenter Bees) that have made their nest under my deck. I cannot get to them, as the deck is close to the ground. I can see where they are going in and out from, but cannot see the holes that they are surely burrowing into my deck boards. What can I do to drive them away so that they wont come back??? Last weekend my grand daughter was stung by one of them, and we would like to utilize the deck....HELP!!!!
Boring Bees
I haven't tried all of these interesting solutions yet but so far bee spray seems to be killing them. I've had these "bumble" like bees for several years now and never put two and two together. I could never understand why they were hanging around my deck as I don't have a garden or even any hanging plants. I couldn't figure out what in the world was making the perfectly round holes in my deck or where all the sawdust was coming from. I thought it was carpenter ants or even a wild animal. But this year I watched closely and actually saw the bees going in and out of the holes. So I grabbed a can of bee spray and hit each hole with it. Several hours later there were many dead and dying bees on the deck. That's when I decided to google them as I did't really believe there was such a thing. But of course there is! I do think they start in the spring but it's late July here in VA and they're still going strong. Hopefully spraying the holes every few days with the bee spray will kill them all and then I can try the steel wool and caulking solution. It's a relief just to know what has been doing this so hopefully I can now get rid of them once and for all!
Cure for Carpenter Bees
ITEMS NEEDED
Cotton balls
Duct Tape
Needle & syringe-holds 3 cc( can be purchased at any drug store. Make sure the needle is about 2" long.
Ammonia....any household will do.
Rubber gloves
In the late evening, push cotton into hole. Amount: 2 small or one large.
I used the 'cover' for the needle to push. It's a perfect size.
TAPE a piece of Duct Tape over the opening.
Load syringe with 2cc of Ammonia. KEEP FACE AWAY FROM UNDERNEATH THE OPENING
Insert needle through duct tape into cotton and disperse ammonia.
NEXT DAY: You may see a 'hole' in the tape, cotton on the ground and bodies of perpetrators.
A funeral is up to you.
My carpenter bees are now living with their ancestors.
Carpenter Bees
I have a major carpenter bee problem. We had a pest control company come out several times to spray. I kept on explaining to them that they needed to use delta dust.
Finally they used the delta dust this past saturday. About 50 bees fell out of the 2 holes that they could reach.
I understand that they are good for gardens but they have damaged the front of my house. We still have not gotten rid of them. The owner of the company is coming out today to look at our problem. He does not think that they are carpenter bee. But they are, and now we have to take the siding and the metal fascia off to find the other nests.
Fill the holes with steel wool, wood paste (Not sure what it's called) and than paint. Research online there are a lot of good sites out there. Once they have taken over it's very hard to get rid of them, trust me!!!!!!!!!!!
My advise to you is if your carpenter bee problem is as bad as mine "DO NOT" ignore it. I do not want to kill bees but if it means saving my house than they are as good as dead.
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