I suspect this could be related to the extensive sealing you did. In your message you state you "sealed them with wood filler" which leads me to believe you didn't use our corks to seal treated nests as recommended. As explained in our CARPENTER BEE ARTICLE, the corks serve two purposes in that they first seal the nest so moisture can't get inside and secondly they allow the nest corridors to stay open and accessible. This way emerging bees will crawl through the DRIONE DUST and die after they hatch from their protective egg chambers. This is vital to controlling the nests. If you sealed the nest and filled the tunnels with wood filler, the emerging bees this year would be forced to exit elsewhere. The only way they know to do this is to drill new holes which would bypass your Drione treatment. The net result would be a new population with new nests this spring and it sounds like this may be happening already.

This time around I suggest you dust the new holes you see with Drione but this time don't seal them all with wood filler. Instead use the 1/2" CORKS we recommend as this will keep the tunnels of the nest open and accessible for any bees hatching from egg chambers later this year or next year depending on their cycle. No doubt the wood filler does a good job of sealing the nest but the reality is that it does too good of a job. Remember, Drione is the dust of choice because it will last 6-12 months. But if you effectively seal off all the tunnels you treated so the bees can't access the treatment, what's the point? By doing this you have effectively taken away the very feature which makes the Drione such a good product choice. Instead leave the tunnels open so the Drione can work it's magic.

At this point I also recommend you treat with CYPERMETHRIN to insure no new holes are being drilled from the outside in. And after dusting the holes you do find, cork them and make sure you inspect daily for the next 4 weeks as this is the prime time for them to emerge and begin their summer patterns. If you see any new holes form, dust them accordingly. Follow this routine throughout the entire spring and I'm sure you'll be able to break their cycle once and for all.

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

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

Drione Dust:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page256.html

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

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page259.html

If you read through our CARPENTER BEE ARTICLE, you'll learn these bees drill through wood to created nests. This drilling will many times create a sawdust by product which can "leak" down siding giving the appearance of droppings or bee feces. Additionally, bees which remain active in one location will definitely defecate as they drill. Feces will also be "pushed out" or disposed through exit holes. Many times this disposal process will cause the feces to trickle down the house siding which is what you're no doubt seeing.

Regarding these bees returning each spring; females will reuse old nests from year to year and their offspring will most likely drill new nests close by. As explained in this post:

http://www.carpenterbees.com/bee-life/carpenter-bee-life-cycle.html

the vast majority of nests will be occupied all winter by hibernating females and males just waiting for the weather to get warm enough for them to emerge and begin their summertime activities. In most areas of the United States this will start in April-May and the activity will continue through Oct-Nov.

Getting rid of the feces will no doubt make the home look nicer but it will in no way influence the local bees nesting in your home. Females in heat are what attract male bees as well as prime nest real estate. If the siding and soffits of your home are left unprotected, the wood will release odors which are conducive to insect infestations and in doing so will many times attract wood loving pests like carpenter bees. At this point it's imperative for you to treat existing holes with DRIONE DUST and then seal them up with the 1/2" PLUGS featured in our article. And the best sprays you can apply to prevent new nesting will be either the CYPERMETHRIN or the INSECT REPELLENT PAINT ADDITVE/SPRAY CONCENTRATE. As you're already seeing, failure to follow these suggestions will just allow the problem to propagate from year to year.

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

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

Drione Dust:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page256.html

Cork Plugs: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page257.html

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page259.html

Insect Repellent:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/repellents/nbs-repellent-insect-spray

It will be a big investment for them so I want to have as much confidence in my recommendation as possible. Thanks for your help.

I can't say I've any specific information or data concerning the use of IPE over standard pine, redwood or cedar. However, I can tell you what I've seen happen over the years regarding carpenter bee infestations. In general, my observations reflect a result which is based more on the general state of the wood involved and not so much the species. Let me explain.

For one thing, carpenter bees do a good job at locating weak wood. What I mean by weak is the wood is seemingly in a state lending itself to easy to access. For carpenter bees, easy access generally means untreated and vulnerable. No doubt a good layer of paint is a kind of protectant and wood which is painted is less likely to be drilled compared to wood which is unfinished. Stronger still and less likely to fall under attack by carpenter bees is wood which is both painted and treated with either CYPERMETHRIN or INSECT REPELLENT. No doubt either treatment on painted or unpainted wood will stop any nests from happening for sure when kept active and done "in season".

So to answer your question; I don't think the species of wood is nearly as important as the condition of the wood itself. In this case, if you were to install IPE and the local bees found a weak spot, I'm sure they'll take advantage. I recently observed a pile of rough sawn hardwood – mostly oak and hickory – that lay in a giant pile in the woods. the logs were squared and stacked 10 feet high; each log was 10 feet long. This was quite a valuable stock of logs and one you would imagine should be quite resilient to the common wood predators such as carpenter bees, carpenter ants, termites and powderpost beetles. Yet I couldn't help but notice what appeared to be carpenter bee holes. Upon closer observation they were in fact drilled out. I counted some 8 holes randomly located on the logs which had only laid out for 1.5 years. I also found carpenter ant activity as well as powderpost beetles. My point is simple; contrary to popular belief, carpenter bees will no doubt drill into oak and hickory if available and vulnerable. Yet do we see oak and hickory readily used for decking or other outside construction? Probably not as much as pine. So it only makes sense that we shouldn't be seeing nearly as much of it infested with CARPENTER BEES and are therefore more likely to be falsely lead into thinking such woods aren't vulnerable to their attack. This would be a grave mistake. And I think the same logic applies to IPE.

So in summary, I'm sure using a harder wood compared to pine is always going to prove to get less insect activity if a side by side comparison of the two were scientifically done. But would the less "insect attracting" wood validate it's use (cost)? I'm not able to answer that question. Much like the question of "how much insurance should I get", this is a personal choice and one only the homeowner themselves can make. I do know a good dose of Cypermethrin or NBS Concentrate each spring when carpenter bees are most active will protect any species of wood and that such treatments are cheap compared to having to replace decks every few years due to insect damage. So if cost is the true unit of measure, it only stands to reason using the less costly wood but properly treating and protecting from year to year would be a better way to obtain the objective. And more importantly, building with IPE and then leaving it untreated and unprotected would be a poor recommendation under any condition if the goal is to prevent insect activity.

Here are direct links to the information and products mentioned in my response to your questions:

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page259.html

Insect Repellent:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/repellents/nbs-repellent-insect-spray

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

The quick answer is no, birds won't feed on bees. I'm sure there is a specie of bird somewhere that will but in general, it's not accepted or even known about as occurring to any extent that would have a significant impact. Having kept bird feeders over many years in many regions of the United States, I can assure you I've seen no cases where the presence of birds detracted or effectively repelled bees or wasps. In fact, I've seen the two live side by side many times. I've owned bird houses that been invested with bees. I've also been called out to treat many bee and wasp nests which were in bird houses! That's right, wasp and bee nests in bird houses! It always amazed me how close the two can live without either seeming to care about the other and in none of these cases did I see birds getting stung or birds eating the bees. To me I'd say it's more of a "birds don't much notice the bees" relationship and not a prey/predator effect like you'd think.

That means if you wish to repel carpenter bees from your property after treating with DRIONE DUST, you'll need to employ either the CYPERMETHRIN or the INSECT REPELLENT sprays we have listed in our CARPENTER BEE ARTICLE. Both will work; the Cypermethrin will be a true chemical they can't stand and if they forage onto treated surfaces will in turn kill themselves. The Insect Repellent won't kill anything but it does a decent job of repelling new insects like bees and wasps from coming around.

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

Drione:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page256.html

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page259.html

Insect Repellent:  http://www.bugspray.com/item/nbs_30_paint_additive_insect_repellent.html

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

My question, my home is made of redwood, through and through – it was constructed in the 1800's. Do carpenter bees, like termites, not like redwood, or should I look for a possible nest? Is there any wood that these bees will not 'eat'?

Here is the answer to your easy question "is there any wood that these bees will not 'eat'?" The answer (and not to be facetious) is all wood. That's right, carpenter bees don't eat the wood, they actually bore into it looking to create nests but they're not eating it. As explained in our CARPENTERBEE CONTROL ARTICLE, these nests can go several feet deep with multiple egg chambers and lots of activity. And though they tend to avoid or "miss" some species of wood, I've seen them bore into most everything including redwood. Cedar, poplar, oak, redwood and just about every species you can name I've seen them attack. The rule is simple; if man has used it in some shape or form to build things and there is some portion of it vulnerable to insects, something will take advantage of the offering. Redwood is no exception to this rule and in this case the attacking insect sounds like carpenter bees.

The second question regarding a nest; I would say a good inspection is in order. I would say one of two things has happened regardless of the species. Now if it's carpenter bees (and you should be able to tell by watching one of our CARPENTER BEE VIDEO'S if this is the species you see), it's most likely there is a nest somewhere on the outside of the structure which got sealed up last year. Is it possible you did some painting or sealing to the exterior? If so, any nest entrance or exit holes that were sealed could be forcing the emerging young to enter the home. We get this reported all the time. But carpenter bees also like to nest up under siding, inside cracks and crevices, and sometimes this nesting will lead them into the home even though they aren't really "boring" like one normally sees. This can also happen with other species of bees or wasps. Regardless of the species, the end result is usually the same: unwanted pests in the house!

To stop this from happening, I recommend a good inspection outside with the intent being to locate where anything is active. If you find activity, such as some hanging around some plants or one side of the house, I would suspect this to be a hot spot and a good place to concentrate your effort for now. Any nests found in this area should be treated with DRIONE. If you can't find any live nests, be sure to spray the area with the CYPERMETHRIN to help chase and repel them from the area. These treatments will keep them from boring new nests or using some void or space for a nest on the home. If this was the area which led to the problem you currently have, the treatments should stop this from happening again next year and your problem should be resolved.

Here are direct links to all the information and products mentioned:

http://www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-control

http://www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-videos

http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page256.html

http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page259.html

Carpenter bees and wasps will commonly infest the same area of most any home. Log homes are ever more susceptible to these pests. The good news is that both can be controlled with the same products.

If you take some time to review our Wasp Control and Carpenter Bee Control articles, you'll see both detail using Drione Dust. Apply this to the siding, soffits and any place where you see either pest. It will not only kill those that are nesting but it will keep them away for extended periods of time. Based on where you mentioned you're seeing the activity, the use of a Dustick may be needed. Remember, log homes should be treated every spring and fall with the Drione to keep out all unwanted pests and a good dust applicator will last many years.

For extra protection, spray the siding with Cypermethrin. Both wasps and bees don't like this material and will avoid treated surfaces. Use a good Pump Sprayer for the treatment and you should only have to do this 1-2 in the spring and then again in the fall to keep matters under control.

It's carpenter bees. Some people keep it all one large word: carpenterbees. And these are the ones which drill into wood to create nests in which they lay eggs. A lot more information can be found in our CARPENTER BEE ARTICLE.