Carpenter Bee Control

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

How do I get rid of carpenter bees in my log home?

by

I am paying a local pest control company almost 1000 per year to treat for Carpenter Bees. Is there something I can do myself?

Absolutely. First, read through our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL article. All you need to learn is covered. From the article you’ll learn if you’ll need to dust or just spray. Dusting is required for existing nests and the spraying is what you should do to keep them away for good.

Lastly, be sure to get some NBS PAINT ADDITIVE to use with the stain or paint on the exterior of the cabin the next time it’s applied. NBS does a great job of adhering to the coating and can repel much longer than the spray.

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

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290

bees in wooden swing set

by

We have just discovered carpenter bees in my daughters wooden swing set. The wooden brace that runs up the slide has several holes. One of them has a great big mama bee staring back at me. What is my plan of attack? How do I kill them/flush them out without getting stung? And how do I keep them from just moving on to a new section of swing set once I treat the current holes? The weather has FINALLY gotten nice and my 4 year old really wants to be on her swing set….help!

If you take some time to read through our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL article, you’ll learn exactly what you need to do. A quick dusting with some DEMISE will take care of them instantly. Plug up the hole 1 day later with some of our 1/2″ CORKS and you’ll be done with that nest for sure. If you only have 10 or less nests to treat, a can of the PT-230 (aerosol version of Demise seen on the DEMISE page) will be enough to do the job.

To keep them away, spray the entire swing set with MAXXTHOR EC. Treatments should last 2-4 weeks and are easy to apply using any standard PUMP SPRAYER.

Organic options include the DE DUST in place of the Demise and some BUG PATROL in place of the Maxxthor. Neither will last as long so expect to do an extra application or two but they will handle the problem.

Here are direct links:

CARPENTER BEE CONTROL

www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page256.html

www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page257.html

www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page259.html

www.gotosprayer.com/sprayers

bugspray.com/exempt/dust/pest-xempt-dust

www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/concentrates/bug-patrol-rts

jonathan
www.bugspray.com
1-800-877-7290

bee in bed

by

there was i bee in the sheets of my bed and my husband got stung on his leg. Now my question is are they always in packs, if i see one do i have to worry about another one being where around? i also have a son that is very allergic to bees and he sleeps in the same room do i have to worry about a bee  being in his sheets too? also can i go back to sleep in my bed or do i have to worry that there is going to be another bee there? Im very sorry for all the qustion ii just want to know if my family is safe both me and my son is allergic and im scared. Should i call pest control?

The first thing I’d like to know just what kind of bee you found in your bed. Do you think it was a carpenter bee? If so, it was most likely leaving an existing nest which is what most do this time of year. One can never tell how many more times this might happen unless you know you have several nests. As explained in our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL ARTICLE, these nests will commonly lead to them getting inside the home if not treated properly the year before. In fact, this post discusses this exact problem happening to someone that closed up some holes in their sunroom:

bees getting in sunroom

Now if you are able to see a lot of bee activity outside the home at this time, determining the kind of bee which is active will then enable you to find out how to treat the nest. It’s still early spring and my guess is you either had a rogue adult carpenter bee emerge inside and most likely you won’t see anymore. But if you know there is a history of them being outside the home, either treating or hiring a service company to take care of any nest locations would be warranted to insure no one else gets stung.

In summary, if you learn you have some other bee or wasp and not carpenter bees, go to our main site www.bugspray.com and choose the species you’ve identified for more information on what will be needed to treat local infestations. At that time you can either hire a service company or get the products we have listed and do the treatment yourself. Of course you can always call us to discuss the problem too.

jonathan
www.bugspray.com
1-800-877-7290

bees getting in sunroom

by

I live in East Tawas MI, last year I had new windows put in last year and then I would have what appeared to be
carpenter bees showing  up in my sunroom, I would have to let them out the window, I can never see
where they are coming from but every day I would have at least one show up.
I did spray the deck, however I do not know where the nest is and it would be virtually impossible to
see under the deck.  I am wondering what I can do now as I do not want these in the house.
Should I go ahead and spray a couple of times, if I could plug the hole where they are getting into the
house that would be ideal.
Any suggestions or ideas appreciated.

If you take some time to review our online article on CARPENTER BEE CONTROL, you’ll learn that each spring the developing young will start emerging from nests which were active the preceding year. If the nest entrance/exit holes were plugged up somehow or now are blocked and no longer usable, the emerging bees will find alternative pathways to get out and go about their business as they do each spring. I suspect this could be happening in your sunroom based on the limited information you’ve provided.

Unfortunately, stopping the bees will be difficult without knowing their pathways. I have seen two common scenarios that seem to happen a lot with such problems: 1) The old holes were plugged during a paint job/construction project and the exiting bees are drilling new pathways out of their old nests or 2) the bees are able to exit their old nests but cannot get to “free air pathways” as they are now trapped in some wall or ceiling void. After following what they either sense or see as a way “out”, they’re actually entering your home and not the outside air space.

The scenarios listed above are quite common. I’ve dealt with hundreds of such problems and really there is no easy fix. Leaving the windows open generally isn’t practical but if you’re able to contain them in the sunroom during the day and then let them out all at once when you know there are 1 or more active in the room, this could be a temporary solution. But as far as treating is concerned; just what is it you feel you can treat? Without knowing the hole location they’re using you would effectively be aiming blindly with any application and this is not a “smart” way to do any kind of pest control.

In summary I would say to wait it out. Most carpenter bee nests will only consist of 3-9 bees. With any luck, they’ll all emerge in the next 1-3 weeks as spring develops and it warms up. The real key will be to prevent future nesting. This can be done using the MAXXTHOR EC we have listed in the article. And if you discover some live active holes that are either old or new, treat them with the DEMISE and then plug them up. This will shut them down for sure and prevent any such pattern next spring.

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

CARPENTER BEE CONTROL

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

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

jonathan

www.bugspray.com

dusting home siding with dustick

by

Hello, I plan on ordering the dustick deluxe.  I have read the carpenter bee control article (and many of the posts).  My question is: what is your recommendation on how to attack our problem?  We have about 15 or so places we can see the bees entering under the siding in the peaks of the house (pollen on siding and visual). Can the dustick spray both liquid and powder? If so, is it better to start with the drione dust (even though we cannot see the exact hole? Then spray the cypermethrin? Also, what amount of chemicals would we need to order to treat the 15 areas we can see and any others we might find? Also, it is winter here, when should we spray since so high? (We may still need a ladder to reach affected areas, but the dustick should help tremendously.)  Love your website and how-to videos. Thanks in advance for your help.

As you probably read in our article and a post or two, the dust applied up under the siding will definitely get any bee, wasp or other invasive insect that tries to crawl up and into this protected space. Though difficult to directly dust or spray, carpenter bee trails and nests will be affected by a good dusting. And this dusting can be done with a HAND DUSTER or our DUSTICK. The good news is the same space the bees are trying to exploit will also serve to protect the dust you apply. That means the DEMISE should last several months in these locations. Not quite as long as when you’re able to treat the nest directly and plug it up but certainly long enough to solve the problem. And in most all the cases I’ve treated this way, one good dusting is all that’s needed. Carpenter bees in the spring will be determined and once they locate a good space to nest, they won’t give it up. This will lead to their demise within a day or two of treating.

As for the Dustick being able to handle a liquid; this is not possible. It’s for dust only. But even so, you should plan on liquid treating with the CYPERMETHRIN after the dust has been applied. Remember, the most important part of the dust treatment will be the material that gets up under the siding and not what’s left out in the open. When spraying, yes some of the liquid will wash away dust left on the siding surface. However, this dust isn’t important anyway so there is no need to worry about loosing it. The key part of the treatment will be the dust that gets  up under the siding and with the Dustick, you should be able to get what’s needed into this tight little space.

A good game plan for you would be the following:

1) Get the Dustick and at least one lb of Demise. Also get some Maxxthor and a good Pump Sprayer.

2) Sometime early in the season either before or just as the bees become active, you should do a thorough dusting of the home. I know you said there are some “15” spots where they’re active but I suggest you treat more than just these areas. I have found walking the perimeter of my home and treating once in the spring and then again in the fall is a good way to keep all kinds of invasive insects at bay.

3) Let the dust settle for a day and then do a good spraying focusing in on key locations. Don’t be afraid to use at least 2-3 gallons of finished product. And remember, letting it run down the side of the house on the siding will only help to provide a larger area with a protective barrier in place.

4) As for the locations which are extra high around the peak of the house; these are key locations that must be dusted thoroughly. I have found everything from carpenter ants to carpenter bees to wasps and even termites love these areas so don’t avoid them. It sounds like this is a key location at your home so do whatever is needed to gain access. Sometimes working from the top of a truck or ladder will help. And most definitely practice on other parts of the home with your Dustick to get to know this tool before you attempt the “hard part” of dusting the highest possible location. I have found keeping the unit as straight “up” as possible helps as does letting it lean on the side of the home gently in between “pumping” as a good way to stabilize it. The thing to remember is to “not fight” it and keeping it straight up and down will help to keep it sturdy and use the force of gravity with you instead of against you. I also suggest getting our FACE SHIELD too so you’ll be able to work directly underneath the area without having to worry about any dust or other debris falling on you.

In summary, the time to treat will be soon. Carpenter bees will start being active here in the south come March. Across the country the season will range from March-May and really it depends mostly on local temps more than anything when they will start in your region. Since the dust will last long, I suggest getting some out at least 1 month ahead of time; 1-2 weeks would be plenty close to cut it if you are wanting to wait till the last second. The point is if you have something in place when they first start to forage, chances are high most will avoid your structure altogether and in the end, isn’t that really what you want?

Give us a call if you have further questions or need some help. Our toll free is 1-800-877-7290. Between our videos, technical articles and telephone support, I’m sure you’ll be able to get rid of these bees for good!

Centro 14 oz: bugspray.com/equipment/dusters/crusader

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

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290