Thanks.

In fact I’ve been amazed at the wide range of wood carpenter bees will utilize. No doubt they seem to prefer anything soft with pine being a favorite. So if you wish to deter them, go with a hardwood if possible. Hickory, walnut, cherry and oak are all good choices. And though redwood, cedar and douglas fir are supposed to be naturally repellent to bees, I can’t say I’ve seen this to hold up to be true in the real world. Of course we deal with people that have problems so that means we’ll get called because there is most definitely a bee problem. And when we do take notice, there are some common things we’ve learned over the years when it comes to the species of wood they like to target.

First, it’s obvious that the local supply of wood and good nest sites will have a big impact on whether they choose what you build or some place else to nest. So if there is an abundant supply of cellulose around the location where the pavilion will be built, there is a good chance something else will be targeted before the new wood you install. But if your posts and rafters are the only good nests sites for several acres, chances are high it will be a prime target to anything that likes to bore in wood like Powderpost Beetles, Carpenter Bees and Carpenter Ants.

Second, if the pavilion is left “natural” as in no stain or exterior finish, this will no doubt increase the odds of it becoming a target because carpenter bees seem to target naturally decaying wood over all else.

Third, if the wood is subject to a lot of moisture, mold and fungus, it will increase the odds of it becoming a nest site.

Fourth, if there is an abundant supply of bees nearby nesting in a somewhat limited amount of cellulose, the odds of them moving to your pavilion will increase.

In summary, I’ve seen them nest in virtually any kind of wood including pressure treated lumber, cedar painted with Duron Paint and even railroad ties! After witnessing all these woods being targeted, I’ve learned there is no magic species they’ll always ignore. So my suggestion is use the Oak if possible with the Douglas Fir as a second choice. But I wouldn’t stop there.

If you want to insure your project won’t become the target of anything destructive, make sure they know that spring and fall treatments with either CYPERMETHRIN or NBS REPELLENT can do a lot in the way of prevention. In my experience, treating is really the only way to insure a problem won’t develop.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/viper-cypermethrin

NBS Repellent:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/exempt/additive/nbs-paint-additive-16-oz

Carpenter Bee Control:  http://www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-control

Powderpost Beetles:  http://www.powderpostbeetles.com/powderpost-beetle-control

Carpenter Ants:  http://www.carpenterants.com/carpenter-ant-control

There are many pests that can drill into trees. The short list includes BORERS, POWDERPOST BEETLES, WOOD WASPS and CARPENTER BEES. Regardless of what insect drilled the holes, once the tree sustains this type of injury it will become susceptible to all kinds of problems including fungus (wood rot), disease and infestations from other insects.

In fact I’ve seen where Borers have drilled some holes and then the holes are taken over by CARPENTER ANTS. I’ve also seen where Carpenter Bees drill holes which are then taken over by Honey Bees. Most any tree will routinely serve host to a wide range of insects and in some cases this role can prove deadly. Hopefully the infestation you have is not that bad.

To treat the problem, you’ll want to use a dust we sell called DRIONE. Fast working and easy to apply, Drione is ideal for this type of job because it will permeate up and into all the voids this nest may contain. Unlike a liquid or aerosol spray, Drione is more like smoke. When applied using a HAND DUSTER, the Drione will drift all through the nest killing all the adults, eggs and larvae it contacts. Treatments can last many months and if you seal the holes up 2-3 days following the treatment, you can expect the Drione to last a long time.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Carpenter Bee Control:  http://www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-control

Drione Dust:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/drione-dust

Hand Duster:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/equipment/dusters/crusader

If you are 100% sure these are carpenter bees, treating as explained in our article will take care of the problem. But since you say there are “so so many in there”, I’m thinking it must be another species. Is it possible they’re honey bees or even yellow jackets? Typically these “other” bee and wasp nests will have activity pretty much non stop during the day. In other words, if you watch that hole you said you see, you’ll notice a lot of bees or wasps coming in and leaving all the time. This will be happening continuously from the morning till the evening where as carpenter bee nests won’t have nearly as much activity. It just so happens that knowing which you have is very important when it comes to treating. As stated above, if it’s definitely a carpenter bee nest, treating it from the outside using their entrance/exit hole will be fine.

But if it turns out you have one of these other species, you’ll need to treat from inside the home through the wall where you hear them the loudest. Basically you’ll want to get a dust like DRIONE and puff it into the wall from the inside. This process will insure you get good coverage and in case you don’t hit the nest directly, you’ll scare them “out” inside of in.  Use a HAND DUSTER for the application and it will only take small holes to get the dust injected. Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of treating from the outside. When it comes to honey bees or yellow jackets, this is very much the “wrong” way to treat and almost always creates a mess. In most cases the nest will not be killed by the first treatment and what members live after the initial dusting will attempt to create a new “main” entrance/exit hole. When doing this they will many times create this new hole directly into the home! For obvious reasons, this is bad.

We’ve got more detailed information posted in some articles and I suggest you read through them. After reading them, you’ll be better informed to decide if you want to do the treatment yourself or if you’ll want to get a professional to do the work. The good news is if you can hear them inside the home by listening to a section of the wall, you should be able to directly treat them from that same location. And this is by the best way to handle this kind of nest because the wall will act as your “shield”. This means if the wall is in tact and not soft or weakened by their nest, it will actually protect you from them once the treatment gets into their nest. Here the articles you should review:

Yellow Jacket Control:  http://www.bugspray.com/article/yellowjackets.html

Honey Bee Control:  http://www.bugspray.com/article/honeybees.html

Carpenter Bee Control:  http://www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-control

No need to be concerned. If you read through our CARPENTERBEE CONTROL ARTICLE, you’ll learn these holes lead to nests which have egg chambers. In most cases the holes go straight up and then “turn” in one direction or another. In fact at the very beginning of our article there is a picture which depicts this exact pattern. This is very much by design and instinctively bees do this. For what reason it’s unclear but most likely this enables the nest to be user friendly and probably insures a higher success rate for reproduction.

In our article you’ll also learn a lot about the DRIONE DUST we recommend. One of it’s features is that it does a great job of “floating” all around any void where it’s applied. This is key to it reaching deep into the nest no matter how large the ones you have on your pergola might be. Drione also does a great job of adhering to the surfaces where it’s applied. And most impotantly, only a little bit is really needed to achieve success so even if some does fall out, it’s most likely the vast majority will remain in the nest and do just fine.

In summary, a good dusting will no doubt get the entire chamber well treated. Leave it open for at least a day and then seal using the CORKS we have listed in our article. This will insure there will be plenty of dust around for when the hatching pupae emerge whether that’s this year or next.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Carpenterbee Control Article:  http://www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-control

Drione Dust: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/drione-dust

Corks:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page257.html

Unfortunately, you’ve done a bad thing…

If you take some time to read through our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL ARTICLE, you’ll learn you’ve made a big mistake closing their nest. Basically you’ve sealed up eggs which will be developing and hatching later this year or possible next season. Additionally, the female bees that created the nests won’t leave. Within a short amount of time they’ll be drilling new holes and the only way to get rid of them will be to kill them. It’s kind of like what we would do if we came home and found all our doors and windows were nailed shut to our home. We wouldn’t leave. We’d figure out how to get inside. In this case, the only way the bees can get back in will be to drill new holes and if you want to prevent this from happening, you’ll need to get those holes open ASAP and hopefully you can remove the Great Stuff and get the nest treated properly.

Once they’re open, you’ll need to treat them with the DRIONE we have featured in the article. If you leave the nests open after you treat, you’ll kill all the females within a day or two and then you can seal them with the CORKS we have in the article. Now if you had treated as our article explains (before sealing them up with something like Great Stuff), the Drione would last a year and eventually kill all the emerging young when they hatch. But if the Great Stuff is blocking their exit, they’ll be forced to drill new holes and in the end they might avoid the treatment. This means you’ll likely have new nests next season since these guys usually return to where it was that they were born.

So for now, try to reopen the holes and get them dusted with Drione. And if you find some new holes later this year or next spring, leave them open and treat them right so you can be done with the problem once and for all. And of course, if new ones come around trying to drill, apply the CYPERMETHRIN to repel them from new areas.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Carpenter Bee Control Article:  http://www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-control

Drione:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/drione-dust

Corks:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page257.html

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/viper-cypermethrin

After reading your message, I think its safe to say you have a carpenter bee problem. Now is it serious? No. And it’s something you can most definitely handle yourself so there is no need to call in an expensive service.
First, if you read our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL article, you’ll learn the ones you’re seeing are males. Basically they just hang around plants waiting for a female to come by. They don’t have stingers so they can’t hurt you but they will definitely buzz close to you over and over; this is their nature and basically it’s all they do all day long. The good news is female bees have no interest in people and they don’t hang around buzzing anything other than their nests and flowers when searching for food.

Second, in our article you’ll learn about two types of sprays that are typically applied to wood where bees are drilling. By treating the wood, you can prevent new holes from being drilled because bees hate these sprays. These two products can also be sprayed on plants to repel bees from the area. The stronger of the two is the CYPERMETHRIN. Use it on the plant just once and these annoying males will be gone. If they choose to linger, they’ll probably die. Since most insects can sense the presense of the Cypermethrin, it tends to do a good job repelling annoying wasps and bees without killing them unless they insist on landing on treated surfaces.

Alternatively you can spray the NBS INSECT REPELLENT. This organic concentrate won’t kill anything but like the Cypermethrin, it will repel bees and wasps. You’ll need to use this more aggressively meaning you’ll have to treat every week or two compared to the Cypermethrin which will last a lot longer.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Carpenter Bee Control:  http://www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-control

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/viper-cypermethrin

NBS Repellent:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/exempt/additive/nbs-paint-additive-16-oz

There are many types of bees that love to nest in adobe. Regardless of what species they are, the products listed in our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL article will keep them away. Simply dust the holes you see with DRIONE and that will take care of all the current activity. Apply some CYPERMETHRIN to any area you don’t want bees to appear and you’ll have an effective repellent in place that will last several weeks per treatment.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Carpenter Bee Control:  http://www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-control

Drione:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/drione-dust

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/viper-cypermethrin

drione and CYPERMETHRIN are in fact the right products for your CARPENTER BEE problem. Dust their holes with the Drione, seal the holes a day or two later with CORKS and spray the CYPERMETHRIN to prevent new holes from being drilled. More details are in our article but this is the basic process to control this pest.

For ants, first read our ANT CONTROL ARTICLE. There you will learn you need to bait inside with either ANT GEL or ANT BAIT STATIONS. Outside you should spray the home with CYPERMETHRIN and if you see ants in the yard, bait it with the MAXFORCE. Diazinon has been out of production for several years but if you wish to apply a poison granule top kill the ants acutely instead of baiting for them, go with the DELTAGUARD.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Drione:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/drione-dust

CYPERMETHRIN:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/viper-CYPERMETHRIN

Carpenter Bee Article:  http://www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-control

Corks:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/equipment/equipment-plugs/cork-12

Ant Control:  http://www.bugspray.net/tiny-ants-in-home

Ant Gel:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/bait/gel/maxforce-ant-gel-1-oz

Ant Bait Stations:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/bait/stations/advance-dual-choice-12-pk

Maxforce G:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/bait/granule/maxforce-gran

Deltaguard G:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/granule/delta-guard-20-lb

Yes. Pressure treated lumber is generally well protected against decay fungi and most insects that eat wood. But remember, CARPENTER BEES aren’t eating the wood. They’re only drilling through it. I’ve seen plenty of nests located in pressure treated lumber so whatever is being injected does not seem to slow them down or kill them.

That being said, in my experience it would seem that in general, most carpenter bees prefer untreated wood over pressure treated lumber. This is probably due to the fact that pressure treated lumber tends to be more “dense”. It also tends to mask the natural odor of the wood. This makes it harder for the bees to find it and even when they are flying around it, freshly treated lumber isn’t nearly as appealing as unpainted raw wood.

If you find any wood – pressure treated or not – being drilled by carpenter bees,  you’ll need to treat it as described in our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL article. Dust any holes you find with DRIONE and then spray with either CYPERMETHRIN or NBS INSECT REPELLENT to stop new holes from being created.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Carpenter Bee Control:  http://www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-control

Drione:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/drione-dust

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/viper-cypermethrin

NBS:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/exempt/additive/nbs-paint-additive-16-oz

If you read our CARPENTERBEE CONTROL ARTICLE, you’ll learn this bee will “over winter” or live in nests when it gets cold. Every spring they’ll want to emerge. If you covered any nests with the vinyl and failed to treat these nests, it’s quite likely there are bees emerging that are now able to move in and out of the vinyl and continue to use the siding underneath the vinyl as a nest location. This could have happened whether you put the siding up after they were hibernating or even if you put it up in the middle of the summer. You see, even in the summer there could have been some developing stages that have taken this long to finally mature and emerge.

Another reason they could be hanging around is because by design, this bee is drawn to decaying wood. They can smell it. So even though you have the vinyl up, underneath is what the bees can still detect and this will no doubt continue to draw them if left untreated.

Another reason they could be hanging around is that the vinyl is a certain color which is attracting male bees to hang around. I’ve also seen where certain plants can attract both males and females so it could be plants close, maybe up close to the house siding, so in fact it’s not the siding that’s doing the attracting.

Regardless of what is attracting them, all you need to do is treat with some DRIONE up under the siding all the way around the house. I would say to do this every spring and fall and you will no doubt keep away all the bees along with any other pests that vinyl siding tends to attract. Wasps, roaches, ants and many other pests like to get up under vinyl and the Drione is ideally designed for this area. The main reason is that it lasts so long. But the other big reason is because it’s applied in a form that’s a lot like smoke so it will penetrate the voids and spaces under the vinyl really well. This is critical for getting control of any nests that might be there.

Here are links to the article and the dust:

Carpenter Bee Control:  http://www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-control

Drione:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/drione-dust