Do carpenter bees cause damage to homes and decks if not treated?

In nature, carpenter bees serve a special purpose in that they recycle dead wood. Around the home, this practice is both destructive and costly. Man (home builders) have learned to protect wood with various treatments including paint, stain, chemicals and other agents. In general these do a fine job of staving off unwanted insect and wood destroying mold. But over time most all these treatments will weaken and insects are quick to find such weak spots. Once identified these locations can be exploited and though most insects seem to prefer “raw” wood over wood with a finish, there is no doubt even a painted surface can be vulnerable to mother nature.

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