Carpenter Bee Control

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do birds feed on bees

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I saw the Demise video and will use that product for a rather large Carpenter Bee problem on my deck.  I was wondering if attracting birds to the immediate area, via a bird feeder/house, would the birds “feed” on any new bees and possibly serve as a preventative measure?

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 DEMISE DUST, you’ll need to employ either the MAXXTHOR EC or the INSECT REPELLENT sprays we have listed in our CARPENTER BEE ARTICLE. Both will work; the Maxxthor 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:

Demise:  https://bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/dust/drione-demise-dust-6-oz

Crusader Duster: bugspray.com/equipment/dusters/crusader

Maxxthor: bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/liquid/maxxthor-ec

NBS Repellent:  https://bugspray.com/exempt/additive/nbs-paint-additive-16-oz

Carpenter Bee Article:  https://www.carpenterbees.com

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290

Comments

  1. I had my patio treated for carpenter bees using Demise today. I was told to put wood putty in the holes the carpenter bees created this coming September. Any thoughts?

    • If you read our Carpenter Bee Control article, you’ll learn that if you leave the holes open, the moisture in the air will break down the Demise prematurely. To prevent this from happening, we recommend sealing them with tapered corks within 24-48 hours of the treatment instead of putty.

      Now if desired, you can push them in deep enough so they go just below the surface of the wood and then putty over the top to give the wood a more finished look. But putty alone tends to break apart as a cap and overall, won’t last. Plus, you shouldn’t put it deep in the nest anyway; keeping the tunnel open allows any hatching larva the ability to move on and over the Demise which in turn will kill them.

      Corks: bugspray.com/equipment/equipment-plugs/cork-12

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

      Lastly, be sure to spray Maxxthor over any surfaces where you see new bees coming around looking for nest sights. This will usually happen in the weeks following the dusting.

  2. Hi,

    I definitely have a carpenter bee problem. I have a garage built out of barn wood. They buzz through a hole, and I plugged some of the holes with foil, which seem to work, however, there’s so many holes, I need a spray. What do you recommend? There is a bird nest right above a spot light, with five babies, and I’m afraid they will start picking on the little ones.

  3. I have a tree house made from treated wood. I noticed several carpenter bee tunnels that have been opened up by what I think is from a animal that chews into the wood in a effort to get to the bees. Do you have any idea what could be causing this chewing? Please help, the chewing is doing a lot more damage than the bees!
    Thanks!
    Bob