Carpenter Bees

[JHZR2]

My one long garage building had some termite damage when I first bought it. That all got cut out, replaced, and treated. Now I have carpenter bees in the one far section. I can hear them and I’m worried that they’re in the top plate that was perfect old rough cut lumber.

There are one or two holes on the outside. I can spray the holes and fill them, but I hear them in the wood. What can I do to get them and keep them gone? This isn’t a residential structure.

I noticed stuff like this where wood chips were in spider webs. This is all 6’ off the ground. No signs ever of carpenter bees inside of the building.

 

[JTK]

I've been battling them on the north face of my house since we bought the home in 2011. They get under the aluminum and burrow in the fascia boards. I've tried many liquid and powdered insecticides. If you plug the holes while live bees are in the wood, they just dig themselves out elsewhere. I resorted to "traps" that catch them, but it doesn't prevent new bees from setting up shop year after year. The problem with where they are on my house is it's 25-30ft off the ground and difficult to safely get at with conventional ladders.

 

[Lubener]

I here these work very well.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3055785957...abcId=9450099&merchantid=6296724&gad_source=1

 

[shortyb]

I've tried the plug and fill method, powders/sprays, and traps. By far the best was the traps. I set 3 up along the fence the like to eat and would always have to empty them every few days as they filled up quickly. Since using the traps, the bee population eating wood around my place has gone way down, almost to the point of non-existance.

 

[spasm3]

Dust the holes, wait 2 weeks then cap. I'd use the traps too.

https://www.domyown.com/how-to-get-rid-of-carpenter-bees-wood-bees-a-501.html

 

[JHZR2]

I here these work very well.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3055785957...abcId=9450099&merchantid=6296724&gad_source=1

I had carpenter bees in some untreated split rail fence. I got traps like that. Didn’t catch a thing!

 

[spasm3]

I have also sprayed the hole with pyrethrin spray, and caulked it. That way you kill the what is in the hole, or what hatches in the hole after you seal it.

 

[MParr]

Paint after repair. For some reason they don’t like painted surfaces.

 

[Blueshound]

Many of those tiny dragons have fallen to Excalibur, my badminton racket. We have not seen one in years now.

 

[JHZR2]

Paint after repair. For some reason they don’t like painted surfaces.

The area they went into was painted. Freshly painted in fact! Which is part of the reason why I’m annoyed.

Many of those tiny dragons have fallen to Excalibur, my badminton racket. We have not seen one in years now.

That’s actually what I did in our back yard when they were going after the fence!!

I have also sprayed the hole with pyrethrin spray, and caulked it. That way you kill the what is in the hole, or what hatches in the hole after you seal it.

That’s probably what I need. Is there a good source?

 

[Nukeman7]

Using Delta Dust (0.05% Deltamethrin powder) with a duster applicator will kill the entire colony when they carry it back to their nest.

 

[spasm3]

The area they went into was painted. Freshly painted in fact! Which is part of the reason why I’m annoyed.



That’s actually what I did in our back yard when they were going after the fence!!



That’s probably what I need. Is there a good source?

https://www.amazon.com/Hi-Yield-Per...2212229&sprefix=martins+p,aps,121&sr=8-1&th=1

But i like the dust idea , i posted earlier too.

https://www.domyown.com/carpenter-bee-control-kit-p-3987.html

What @Nukeman7 posted is less expensive.

 

[dnewton3]

Get the liquid insecticide called deltamethrin. It comes as a concentrate for mixing with water. (Amazon is a good source; brand does not matter).
Follow directions and mix into a gallon sprayer, and then saturate the wood and entry points.
This is how I treat my wood retaining wall and wood deck every spring. Works great.
They may chew a very slight start, but soon get sick and die.

Don't trap them in the hole; they'll only chew a new way out.

 

[spasm3]

Don't trap them in the hole; they'll only chew a new way out.

Exactly, thats why if you spray a hole, or use the dust, wait a 2 weeks for whats in there to die or leave, then seal it.

 

[earlyre]

also, if you see one of these guys, DO NOT KILL IT!

Meet the Tiger Bee Fly, they lay their eggs in the entrance to Carpenter Bee nests. Their larvae are Parasitic to Carpenter Bee larvae. they attach to the Bee larvae and suck them dry.
They look a little scary, but they're your friends!
https://georgiawildlife.com/out-my-backdoor-meet-tiger-bee-fly

 

[JTK]

As @Nukeman7 suggested, deltamethrin powder is good stuff if you have easy enough access to the holes and the ability to keep treating new holes. You can treat one area and have another bee set up shop inches away.

I believe I've read that it's the bee's scent that keeps them coming back to the same areas.

They really are a challenge in a structural area, or any area that is difficult to get at.

 

[snarl]

https://bioadvanced.com/termite-and-carpenter-bee-killer-plus-foam.html

 

[alarmguy]

I love this site.
I use BIfen I/T I buy the gallon, just as a preventative around the foundation for all things including Termites. $60 might seem pricey but it is not, you only use depending on application one to two ounces per gallon
It will take care of bees too. But if I was doing something like carpenter bees maybe Talstar I like them both because they stay effective a long time. Depending on type of treatment many years.

With that said Carpenter Bee specific I would simply type the insect into their search engine and you will get a HOST of professional products. Of those I would make sure at least one part of the treatment is soaking the wood. But I haven't had to deal with them, when I did many years ago it was only a matter of painting the wood which I dont think is possible where you are dealing with it.

Type "Carpenter Bees at the top of the page in the search box and you will get like, maybe 6 pages of products.

https://www.domyown.com/

Since you had termites in the past, if you were up to it, you could trench and treat the soil with these products, gives many years of protection. (in that case type termite in the search box many of these can also be used for other insects such as the carpenter bees) Some products can not be sold in certain states, we can almost guess what states those are but those will be listed with the insecticide type.

 

[JHZR2]

I love this site.
I use BIfen I/T I buy the gallon, just as a preventative around the foundation for all things including Termites. $60 might seem pricey but it is not, you only use depending on application one to two ounces per gallon
It will take care of bees too. But if I was doing something like carpenter bees maybe Talstar I like them both because they stay effective a long time. Depending on type of treatment many years.

With that said Carpenter Bee specific I would simply type the insect into their search engine and you will get a HOST of professional products. Of those I would make sure at least one part of the treatment is soaking the wood. But I haven't had to deal with them, when I did many years ago it was only a matter of painting the wood which I dont think is possible where you are dealing with it.

Type "Carpenter Bees at the top of the page in the search box and you will get like, maybe 6 pages of products.

https://www.domyown.com/

Since you had termites in the past, if you were up to it, you could trench and treat the soil with these products, gives many years of protection. (in that case type termite in the search box many of these can also be used for other insects such as the carpenter bees) Some products can not be sold in certain states, we can almost guess what states those are but those will be listed with the insecticide type.

The trenching and all was done a few years ago during the rebuild of the garage.

The bees were noticed last year, no signs of termite activity.

Thanks for the lead!