We have a long wing on our house with 2-foot roof overhang supported by poplar wood beams, which carpenter bees seem to love. We had the exposed wood painted with 2 coats of polyuruthane in 2006, but by spring 2009 the bees were back. We are going to have the eaves repainted this spring. Is there a bee poison such as cypermethrin or Demise that can be mixed into polyuruthane that might help to deter the carpenter bees for more lasting protection?
Currently the best “additive” is the NBS INSECT REPELLENT we have listed in our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL ARTICLE. It can be mixed with paint or stain and will provide 1-2 years of prolonged insect repellency action. It can also be mixed with water and sprayed on homes and plants as an insect repellent but not a pesticide; it won’t kill anything as it’s only for repelling pests. It’s proven effective for carpenter bees along with some other invasive insects so you should definitely include this for your upcoming paint job. However, I wouldn’t wait till that’s done as a lot of damage could happen between now and then!
Based on the time of year we’re at, I’d do a good dusting now to get rid of the ones that are active before you paint. Treat any nests with the DEMISE DUST and it will shut them right down. Applying it every spring around the perimeter of my home does a great job of keeping them away the whole year. It seems as though wasps and bees like nesting where roof and gutters meet by soffits and eaves. These locations notoriously have gaps, a lot of moisture and a protected area (under the eave) which is an instinctive location most bees and wasps try to find when seeking nest sites. Using a DUSTICK, I’ve learned applying Demise to these areas does a great job of stopping most every insect that might try to invade. And getting it applied in the spring, before pests like carpenter bees establish themselves, seems to be important. As our video’s show, the Demise will permeate up into the shingles and gaps and essentially take away these locations as nest sites. And since these are protected from direct weathering, the dust can last several months making it real long term protection.
I also know some people prefer to spray because it’s easier to do compared to dusting. That’s when we tested and learned the MAXXTHOR EC does a good job when sprayed to these surface areas of repelling these bees. So if you aren’t willing to dust with the Demise, spraying the Maxxthor once a month will do the job. But really the best way to handle this problem will be to dust now with the Demise and then use the Insect Repellent mixed with paint. Overall this combination will provide good results and require minimal applications.
Here are direct links to the information and products mentioned above:
NBS Repellent: https://bugspray.com/exempt/additive/nbs-paint-additive-16-oz
Demise: https://bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/dust/drione-demise-dust-6-oz
Dustick: https://bugspray.com/equipment/dusters/dustick
Maxxthor: bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/liquid/maxxthor-ec
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Dale Thien says
Good info.