Carpenter bees can drill holes quickly when wood is unfinished and untreated like most of the wood found on the bottom side of a deck. Now that you’re aware of them it’s a lot more likely that you’ll see the activity when it first starts next season. The good news is you can stop them from both drilling and nesting if by following the directions on how to treat explained in our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL article.

To get rid of the carpenter bees that are nesting now, treat their holes with DRIONE DUST in the late evening after they’ve returned to the nest and are settled. Use 1/2″ CORKS to seal the holes after you’ve dusted them and let them remain open for at least two days. Keeping them open will insure all the carpenter bees using the nest will enter and be killed; sealing them will allow the treatment to last for a long time which is key for killing the larvae that will be hatching next season.

To get rid of carpenter bees that are coming around to drill new holes, spray the CYPERMETHRIN on all exposed wood you have on you home. Carpenter bees will tend to look in areas close to where they’ve already been nesting so the existing nests will be attracting more bees until it’s treated. Renew the Cypermethrin application once every 1-2 weeks if you keep seeing them around; eventually they’ll move away as this treatment will tend to repel them from the area.

Carpenter bees tend to return to areas where good nest sites can be created. If you had them nesting last year, chances are high some more will come around looking to make new nests in the same location. Do a good inspection to make sure they haven’t drilled new nest holes yet. Carpenter bees are mostly active in the spring, which is now, and this is the time to spray with some Cypermethrin over the wood where they want to drill new nests. This will stop them and make them move elsewhere. If you do find new holes, be sure to treat with the Drione.