May 5, 2013
I have bees under my deck. I can’t get to the holes so what do you suggest I do? Is there something I can spray or a container I can put out to trap them? I’m desperate, they’re driving me crazy and scaring my grandkids. Thank you, Barbara.
As our carpenter bee article explains, you need to dust bee holes with Drione Dust to effectively shut down their nests.
Drione: https://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/drione-dust
Hand Duster: www.bugspraycart.com/equipment/dusters/crusader
Carpenter Bee Control: www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-control.html
But if you have a situation where the bees are passing through cracks of decking and going underneath to an area you cannot access, there is a spray that can be used to spot treat the spaces in the decking where they’re active and traversing.
Known as Optigard, this liquid is a slow working, undetectable chemical that bees won’t notice. Basically you’ll spray it on the decking where you see the bees passing through the gaps in the planks. Next, you’ll avoid the areas so the bees are not frightened away and allowed to continue using the area like they’re doing now.
Over a period of several days, they’ll slowly pick up small amounts of the Optigard as they fly through the gaps in the planking. This eventually will take it’s toll and kill them.
Optigard: https://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/optigard-flex-liquid-8-oz
It’s important to understand the process will take 4-7 days so you must remain patient. And it’s also important to understand this treatment will only work on bees that pass through the slots you spray. So if a week later you’re still seeing bees active, retreat.
Depending on how many bees are actively passing through the decking, it could take 1/2 to 1 gallon of mixed material to get the entire area treated.
Now since you wont’ be treating the nests directly, any eggs already laid in the established nests will surely live and prosper as summer goes one. My guess is any eggs will hatch later in the summer and eventually show up at some point. So when this happens, you’ll need to renew the Phantom application being sure to treat each area where new bees or wasps are active.
Lastly, this method will not work with 99.9% of the commonly found over the counter sprays found on the market. This is because bees are able to detect these other active ingredients and after they detect them, they’ll avoid the area you sprayed. This in turn will force them to start using another area to get to their nests and in the end, the bees will continue to live and thrive and will not go away.
But Optigard is able to handle this type of problem because of it’s unique quality that doesn’t repel insects making it the product of choice for problems like you now have.
Give us a call if you still have questions.
Technical Support
1-800-877-7290
Filed under DECK WITH BEES