Carpenter Bee Control

Need Help? Call the Carpenter Bee Control help line at 1-800-877-7290

carpenter bees in coffee table

by

I have a bench that was outside that I thought would make a nice rustic coffee table. I refinished it, and put it in my living room. It had some carpenter bee holes, but I didn’t think much of it, until after a couple of weeks the bees started slowly coming out of the holes. I found one laying under the coffee table, and when I turned the table over, another one was slowly coming out of one of the holes. They are sluggish, but still. How can I get these bees out of this bench, so I can use it indoors?

As you’ve either figured out based on your experience or from our website article, carpenter bees will use their nests as a place to overwinter or hibernate. You can read more about this behavior in our post here:

bees in house

Most of the time people with the problem you’re experiencing have no idea where the bees are coming from like the example in the post above details. In your situation, you’re well aware of the source. That’s a big head start and allows you to take matters into your own hand since you can literally move the “source” in or out of the home. As I see it, you have two options that are both practical and feasible.

1) Taking the coffee table back outside and leaving it in the cold will cause any bees in the wood to go dormant again. When spring arrives and the air temperatures warm, they’ll become active and leave the wood. At that point you can treat all the exit holes they have with DEMISE DUST. You can then cap them with CORKS or wood dowels, refinish as needed and bring it back inside. If you didn’t want to seal the holes you could leave them open. Any visible dust can be wiped away with a damp rag and you’d be all set to use the table inside without bee problem. And if leaving the finished bench outside in the winter weather isn’t an option, maybe you have a carport or garage which is generally cool where you could store it? That would do just as well.

2) You could treat the piece now but it could involved more work. I’m assuming you sealed all their nest holes and if you did, they’ll need to be reopened so you can dust them with Demise. Once they’re all dusted, you can cork them and finish the piece as you wish. The only difference between doing it now versus the spring or summer would be the extra work in reopening holes. And since they’re not fully active, it could take awhile for the piece to release all the bees it’s harboring. Alternatively, if you wait till the spring and let the bees emerge naturally to get active, you’ll know for sure you get all of them.

Now if you didn’t seal any holes and they all are open right now, simply dusting them with Demise and placing the piece somewhere like a basement or other part of the home where it’s nice and warm is all you’ll need to do. I’d even go as far as to put a small space heater close to the piece to help get the bees active. This extra heat would help get the bees moving and as soon as they crossed over the Demise, they’d die.

Hope this helps. Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

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

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

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

Carpenter Bee Control:  www.carpenterbees.com

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290

bees in house

by

I think we may have bees in our attic, I’ve noticed them in my daughter’s room (which has the attic access in her closet) either dead or walking/flying very sluggishly. They seem to be coming in more and more, what threw me off is that I found a couple in the basement also, two flights down from her room. I’m puzzled because it’s getting colder outside and I thought this problem doesn’t usually happen until Spring.  Please help!

When bees start entering the living space of a home there is always an initial feeling of panic. But panic won’t fix anything so first calm down and try to get an understanding of what might be happening so you can address the problem in a logical manner. First and foremost, the big key to solving the problem is trying to locate how they’re entering. The second key is identifying the species and then employing proven methods for keeping them off the home so this doesn’t happen again in future. So for now, lets look what we know.

At this point it’s early winter and when bees are found in the home during this time, they’ll usually be in a semi dormant stage like you’re describing. I would say the word you used – “sluggish” – is right on the mark.  It also sounds like you’ve identified at least one route of entry. I know my attic is accessible through a staircase that drops down from the ceiling and if I pull it down in the winter, I’ll commonly find 1-2 wasps in the area. Most of the time they’re dead but that’s because the stairs fits very tight to the ceiling so they can’t escape. If your attic access point has any cracks they’ll get through. So for starters, you might want to see how you can seal it up better to help keep them out.

But sealing this port isn’t really solving the problem. To do this you need to consider what’s happening and based on the time of year, I’d say you most likely have a nest somewhere on the home. CARPENTER BEES, BUMBLE BEES and HONEY BEES are three common species which nest in homes. All of these will harbor adults throughout the winter and when nests are in wall or ceiling voids, they’ll be so close to the warmth of the living space that many will try to enter. This happens when nests are in attic spaces  as well and the insulation found in most any home is a great location for a nest to form.

Since you suspect these bees are entering from the attic, I’d start by treating the area with some DELTAMETHRIN DUST. This product is like baby powder and when distributed using a DUSTIN MIZER, it will blanket the insulation throughout the space making it tough for any insect to live. Plus it lasts a long time, like 6-12 months, and is ideally suited for this area. If done properly, any activity in the attic will be shut down and if you only have a hibernating bee problem, it will go away and you’ll be done with it. But if you have Honey Bees or Carpenter Bees, you’ll probably have to pay careful attention next spring and summer to the area around the roof line of your house to see if you can locate where they’re nesting. And if you do find activity in these warm months, you’ll need to address what will most likely be a nest using one of the methods listed in our articles.

In summary, you most likely have a hibernating species of bee living in your attic which is seeking the warmth of your living space as the cold of winter sets in. This commonly happens and in some cases it’s just 1-2 but in others I’ve seen 50-100 filter in so there is no telling how many you might have up there. Regardless, a good dusting with the Deltamethrin will take care of the problem and should keep the living space free from bees. Next spring and summer you’ll need to watch the exterior of the home carefully to try and see if there are any active nests on or in the structure which will need a followup treatment. Controlling such a nest will be critical for keeping them out of the living spaces down the road.

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

Carpenter Bee Article:  www.carpenterbees.com

Bumble Bee Article:  www.bugspray.com/articles99/bumblebees.html

Honey Bee Article:  www.bugspray.com/article/honeybees.html

Delta Dust: bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/dust/deltamethrin-dust

Dustin Mizer: www.bugspraycart.com/equipment/dusters/dustin-mizerdeflector

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290

bees attracted to light

by

Why do carpenter bees only come out in the mornings when I turn on my outside florescent light?  They do not come out in the evenings when I turn the light on. Thanks.

Are you sure they’re CARPENTER BEES? In general, the carpenter bees we have here in the lower 48 states of America are active during the day and are not interested in light unless in the home and trapped. As our article explains, they forage for food on flowers and bore holes in wood where they nest. The only bee or wasp we have here that’s attracted to light would be the EUROPEAN HORNET. They’re quite large and mostly yellow but to me quite different looking compared to a carpenter bee. Is it possible this is what you have coming around?

Here are direct links to the informational articles mentioned above:

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

European Hornet Control:  www.bugspray.com/article/eurohornet.html

bees in pump house

by

I have a serious carpenter bee infestation in our pump house.  It seems to be limited to the door jam and some non structural trim.   Can I just remove and replace the problem parts? I want to put in a new door.   The bees have been dormant for the last two months as winter approaches.  Will I stir them up if I try to demo the offending parts of the pump house, or can I just put on long sleeves and pants and go at it with a hammer?

If you read our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL ARTICLE, you’ll learn this bee likes to nest in wood. Once nests are established, the targeted area will attract bees from year to year indefinitely. The only way you’ll be able to stop this will be to completely seal, paint and possibly even cover the structure with vinyl or some other non wood material. As our video demonstrates, they’ll regularly chew through even painted surfaces if whats underneath is worth it for them to reach for nesting.

Additionally you’ll learn from the article that existing nests will harbor both adults and developing eggs. That means if this pump house truly has a “serious” infestation, are you sure you’ll be able to weed out all the nests when you do the repair work? Here’s why I ask. Even if you do get rid of all the nests, there is a good chance (75%+) that new bees will try to use the structure for new nests. This is because the scent left behind from other bees will naturally alert new bees to the pump house as being a good place to drill and live. But if you miss even one nest, there is a 100% chance of more drilling and more nesting. My point here is don’t go to all this demo and repair just because you want to “weed” out carpenter bee nests. This approach of carpenter bee control won’t work. Fix the damage if you feel it needs to be repaired by ripping it out and replacing the damaged wood. But since doing this won’t stop them from returning next season, keep in mind you’ll probably have to spray with the MAXXTHOR EC over the new wood anyway to prevent new bees from moving in.

Oh, and yeah, there is always a chance of getting stung from these guys but it’s not a major concern if they’re somewhat dormant and huddled up due to cooling temps. Thick clothing with little to no exposed skin areas should keep you sting free while working but pay attention; I wouldn’t be surprise if it turned out you had more than just some carpenter bee nests in this pump house!

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

Carpenter Bee Control Article:  www.carpenterbees.com

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

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290

carpenter bees in bedroom

by

About a week ago I discovered some carpenter bees inside one of my bedrooms.  They were sluggish.  I trapped and removed them from the room but more are showing up. Two have actually shown up a couple of days ago in the adjacent bedroom and only show up after I’ve been in there about 15 or 20 minutes.

Got those out and have sealed off the first bedroom (stuffed towel at base of closed door). I peeked in there last night and there was at least one more.  We have checked the outside of the house I think thoroughly and cant find where they are coming in.

I do understand that they (males) won’t sting but because I am highly allergic to bee stings, I’m still very uneasy.

How do I determine where they are entering in the house?  I’ve even checked crown molding and ceilings in the closet in that bedroom.  I’m really baffled and need to get them out!

Thanks.

If you read through our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL ARTICLE, you’ll learn the cycle of this bee. As explained, adults bore holes in which they lay eggs. Nests will be used by adults till the die but even after that nests get used over and over again. Young will emerge later in the same year they were put in the nest as an egg or the following year. More importantly, to properly treat a nest, it must be dusted with DEMISE and sealed with 1/2″ CORKS if you wish to shut it down.

You see, when carpenter bees start making their way into a home like you’re describing, it’s because one of two things must have happened. The first option is that you had some nests being used which have tunnels bored so far into the home they’re now porting to inside living areas. This can happen. But what we find is more common is when people have work done to the outside of their home such as painting, adding siding, replacing windows or just sealing it up to help save on heating/cooling costs. The process of sealing all those cracks and crevices will many times seal bee holes and nests. This will effectively trap both adults and young. The end result is that they will drill their way out. This could be to the outside but many times it will be to the inside. No doubt this could be happening in your case.

Unfortunately there isn’t much you can do. The only resolution would be to treat existing holes if you knew where they were. If you’re aware of any that someone sealed with caulking, you can remove the caulking and then dust with the Demise and seal them with corks. This will allow the Demise to work and should diminish if not eliminate the bees finding their way inside.

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

Carpenter Bee Control Article:  www.carpenterbees.com

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

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

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

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290