I’m doing some repair work on a small outbuilding I own that has big carpenter bees nesting in it. There are maybe 8-10 holes. Can I work safely without getting stung? I’m replacing some of the damaged wood but it looks like there are holes or nests in some areas where I’m not doing any repairs.
If you read our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL article, you’ll learn that this wood boring bee drills through wood making nests which will hold 5-10 egg chambers. You’ll also learn the best way to treat these nests is with DEMISE DUST. So the easiest way to handle this would be to treat all the nests with some Demise and let them sit for 1-2 days thus insuring all the bees active die. Use a HAND DUSTER to make the application and the problem will be handled.
Demise: https://bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/dust/drione-demise-dust-6-oz
Hand Duster: bugspray.com/equipment/dusters/crusader
Now once they’re all dead, you’ll be able to go about your repair work undaunted. And after you finish the repair, I suggest you either treat the wood with some MAXXTHOR EC or NBS REPELLENT. The Maxxthor is a concentrate you’ll spray over any wood you want to protect and will have to be refreshed every few weeks when these bees are active. The NBS is longer lasting and if you mix it with paint or stain used on the building, you can expect to get a year or more of repellent action from the application.
Maxxthor: bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/liquid/maxxthor-ec
NBS Repellent: https://bugspray.com/exempt/additive/nbs-paint-additive-16-oz
Carpenter Bee Control: www.carpenterbees.com
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