Wood-boring bees

Sparrow's picture
Submitted by Sparrow on Wed, 04/20/2005 - 6:45pm.

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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Lynn's picture

Those are mason bees

Submitted by Lynn on Wed, 04/20/2005 - 10:12pm.

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

Sparrow's picture

I think those are something different

Submitted by Sparrow on Thu, 04/21/2005 - 8:07am.

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.

Lynn's picture

good heavens!

Submitted by Lynn on Thu, 04/21/2005 - 11:20am.

I'd never even heard of carpenter bees--carpenter ANTS, you bet. Learn sumpin new ever day round here.

Lynn Siprelle, Editor

Sparrow's picture

Maybe they're an East Coast critter?

Submitted by Sparrow on Thu, 04/21/2005 - 7:28pm.

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. Smiling

unyun's picture

Carpenter Bees

Submitted by unyun (not verified) on Wed, 04/23/2008 - 2:20pm.

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.

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