Carpenter Bee Control

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

ground bees damaging house

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Do ground bees damage house?

Are all carpenter bees about 1/2 inch big?

GROUND BEES are a somewhat “generic” term used to describe a wide range of bees and wasps that nest in the ground. There are hundreds of species that nest in this location and though some can cause problems on or around the home, none can do damage like CARPENTER BEES. Remember, Carpenter Bees are literally drilling holes through siding, soffits and other exposed wood where they find it vulnerable. These holes are for nesting; the bees aren’t eating the wood.

Ground wasps and bees are actually nesting in the ground and even in cases where there are thousands of such nests, I’ve never seen it get so extreme that it poses a hazard to or undermines a structure. So even with the wide range of bee and wasp species that could be nesting in the ground, I think it’s safe to say very few if any might do damage to homes or other structures.

Regarding the size of carpenter bees; this does vary on region and species. Here in the United States, we have a few species which are most common. These range in size from 1/2″ to 1.5″. However, the most common adult males range from 3/4″ to 1″ and females of these common species will be slightly bigger.

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

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

Ground or Digger Wasp Control:  www.bugspray.com/articles99/diggerwasps.html

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

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290

carpenter bee damage to decks

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Do carpenter bees cause damage to homes and decks if not treated?

In nature, carpenter bees serve a special purpose in that they recycle dead wood. Around the home, this practice is both destructive and costly. Man (home builders) have learned to protect wood with various treatments including paint, stain, chemicals and other agents. In general these do a fine job of staving off unwanted insect and wood destroying mold. But over time most all these treatments will weaken and insects are quick to find such weak spots. Once identified these locations can be exploited and though most insects seem to prefer “raw” wood over wood with a finish, there is no doubt even a painted surface can be vulnerable to mother nature.

To combat the ever present and very real potential for damage from any wood destructive pest, man has developed a wide range of pesticides. We are distributors of many such products and over the years have learned which work best for certain pests. When it comes to carpenter bees, they no doubt do not like MAXXTHOR EC. When sprayed early in the season onto wood where bees are active, they’ll move away and in general stay away. Most areas will need at least two treatments per season; some homes require more to hold off this potentially destructive pest. We have also learned the INSECT REPELLENT discussed at the end of our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL ARTICLE can be a great additive used in paint and stain to help fight this cause. Applications done this way can last a year or two so the need for spraying Maxxthor can be put on hold for awhile.

So to answer your question above: “Do carpenter bees cause damage to homes and decks if not treated?”, the answer is no doubt they can. Of course we can’t say with 100% certainty they will but no doubt untreated wood is likely to be attacked when left outside. This applies to wood in the forest, around the home or on the home itself. But more importantly, even wood with a painted or stained surface – what we would call “treated” – can be damaged. So it’s important to understand if any of these invasive and wood destroying insects like carpenter bees, carpenter ants, termites, powder post beetles, pine borers, wood wasps or some other decides it want’s “in” on your wood, the only thing that is likely to stop it will be a chemical pesticide treatment.

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

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

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

Carpenter Bee Control Article:  www.carpenterbees.com

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290

carpenter bees in wood pile

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This is the first year that I have seen these pesty carpenter bees. We have wood stored downstairs under an overhang, we noticed a hole that has been made by the bees. What should we do? Should we destroy the wood? Should we plug the holes? I am lost as there is a huge pile of wood we use to burn in the winter, but if we have to we will get rid of it. Any ideas?

As our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL ARTICLE explains, carpenter bees exist in nature as a kind of recycler. Your wood pile is exactly why they exist; in the forest they would be drilling through it turning the trunk and limbs to sawdust therefore allowing the cellulose to filter back into the earth. But when we’re trying to preserve such wood to use at a later date, the bee’s natural behavior will come in direct conflict with our effort. To stave off their attacks, there are a few things you can do.

First, dusting any existing holes you see with DE DUST will render it dead and prevent further damage and nest growth. This can be done any time and will not affect the wood in any way now or when it comes time to burn it. In other words, the dust can be burned with the wood and not pose a hazard to anyone close to the fire.

Second, the wood in the wood pile can be treated to prevent further drilling. The best product for treating wood piles is the INSECT REPELLENT. This is not a pesticide but is merely a repellent. It won’t kill anything nor would treated wood pose a threat to anyone close to the fire when being burned. I expect you’ll need to spray at least twice from now till the fall/winter; 3-4 applications would be the norm for most active sites to keep them away effectively.

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

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

DE Dust:  https://bugspray.com/exempt/dust/pest-xempt-dust

Insect Repellent:  bugspray.com/exempt/liquid/pest-away

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290

playground with carpenter bees

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I have a Playground that has Carpenter Bees boring hole in it. I can’t use any thing that might make a child sick if exposed to it. Any suggestions?

When applied with the kids away from the area, none of the products featured in our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL article will get anyone sick. In fact, there will be little chance of any exposure. Just follow the safety guideline videos on each product page which details all you need to do to both use and store all our products safely.

If you still aren’t convinced, go with one of the organic solutions posted here:

www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/carpenter-bees/non-toxic-carpenter-bee-control-options.html

If you have further questions or concerns, give us a call on our toll free 1-800-877-7290 during regular hours and one of our tech reps will be able to assist. Here is a link to our Carpenter Bee Control article; at the end of the article there are links to all the products discussed as well:

CARPENTER BEE CONTROL

bees boring into picnic tables

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Just wondered if there was a sprayable liquid that could be put through a 2-3 gallon sprayer???  Our campgrounds in northern Ohio has them boring into our picnic tables. tks

As explained in our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL ARTICLE, these bees don’t really discriminate when it comes to wood. Picnic tables are commonly made from pine, redwood and cedar and all three will be drilled out and bored into for nesting if left untreated. Fortunately there are some sprays available to stop the damage and nests from forming.

If you intend on painting or staining these tables anytime soon, be sure to add some of the NBS INSECT REPELLENT to your choice of finish. This treatment will last 1-2 years and will stop wood destroying pests from trying to use your tables for nests. NBS isn’t a pesticide so it won’t kill anything. It only works as a repellent. Another product you can spray is the MAXXTHOR EC. This product is a pesticide and as such will last at least a month and it will effectively repel and kill any insects coming in contact with treated surfaces. So these are the two options we suggest both of which can help keep boring bees away.

However, as explained in our article, you’ll first need to dust active nests with DEMISE before spraying. This is critical as the spray alone will not take care of the problem; it’s really only used to repel the bees and stop new nests.

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

Carpenter Bee Control:  www.carpenterbees.com

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

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

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

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

 

Technical Support
U-Spray Bugspray
www.bugspray.com
1-800-877-7290