Carpenter Bee Control

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

timbor and maxxthor

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I own a log home restoration company. I treat log homes with borathor (after I strip the logs, but before I apply the new stain) as a preventative against wood boring insects and fungi as part of my restoration process, and when I run into carpenter bees I use Demise dust in the holes and seal them with chinking. I haven’t figured out how to stop the bees from boring new holes after I’ve finished the job until I read about Maxxthor. What I’d like to know is how do I use this product in conjunction with Borathor?
Thank You.

Maxxthor is something that can be applied over the exterior finish of wood to prevent carpenter bees from drilling new holes. However, you cannot get the same results if it’s applied under the finishing coat. Borathor can be applied under the finishing coat and it will help prevent wood destroying organisms like insects and decay fungi. But applying Maxxthor at the same time as the Borathor would serve no benefit. The Maxxthor would loose it’s effectiveness once the finishing coat was applied so this is not a productive way to use Maxxthor. If you wish to deter the bees from drilling, you’ll have to apply it after the wood is installed as explained in our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL ARTICLE.

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

Borathor:  bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/liquid/borathor-max

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290

drione or pt-230

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I need some help.  I am looking at the Demise Dust 1lb vs the PT-230 Tri Die 8z. I have 2 nests of carpenter bees in my soffits and I don’t know which product I should purchase. I will need to treat again next year.  But I was not sure which product I should use.  your advise would be appreciated.

I think the PT-230 will handle your needs fine. A good rule to follow here is that the PT-230 can usually treat at least 5 nests. One can never tell for sure unless you are certain you know just how deep each nest is in the wood. The depth is what dictates how much material will be needed; nests which are 2 feet or longer will require a lot more drione compared to a nest which is only 6-12 inches deep.

Based on the limited information you provided, I believe the PT-230 will suffice and handle your problem for now most definitely. If you only have 1-2 holes to treat next year, it should be more than enough for you at that time as well. But if you end up finding 5 or more holes, get the 1 lb DEMISE, along with a good HAND DUSTER, to insure good coverage and proper product distribution.

PT Tri-Die: bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/dust/drione-demise-dust-6-oz

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

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

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290

bumble bees or carpenter bees

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I have bumble bees coming into my sunroom throughout the day, I always manage to get the window open and let them out, there is a deck attached to the sunroom but I am not sure if that is where the nest is. I let 3-4 out the window every day. Not sure what to do since I do not know if they are in the wall or coming from the deck area. I only get one bee at a time (Thankfully). Any suggestions would be greatly welcomed as I know it is only a matter of time before me or my cats get stung.

My first thought is whether or not you actually have bumble bees. Their nests are only now just developing but typically you don’t see a lot of mature nests till late in the summer. That means to have the same bumble bee finding her way into your sun room over and over would be odd and not likely statistically. This fact leads me to believe it could be another type of bee.

Carpenter bees are bees that drill or chew through wood and love to live in decks. Since you have a deck in close proximity to the sunroom, I’m thinking you might actually have a carpenter bee nest that has drilled holes all the way through to the sunroom. If one hole has an exit into the sunroom, it would explain why you keep seeing them in there. They have no idea they are entering the sunroom; they would only know they are using a part of their nest and in advertently exit it and cannot find the exit hole so you see them. At this time here is what I suggest.

First, review our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL article. In the article you can see a female carpenter bee close up as well as learn she has an abdomen which is shiny and metallic unlike a bumble bee which is hairy all over it’s body. Since you are seeing these bees so often, you should notice is they are metallic or shiny on the lower half of their body. This clue should tell you just which species you are seeing.

If you discover they are really carpenter bees, there will be two things you should do. First, go outside and try to learn where they have created nests. Treat these nests with DEMISE as explained in our article and seal the nests with CORKS. Next, on the sunroom side, do a good inspection to see if you can find a small entry hole they may be using to gain access to the sunroom. As you can see in the article, this hole would be almost 1/2″ wide and very smooth, like it was made with a hand drill. If you find such a hole, seal it and your problem should be easy to resolve.

Alternatively you may be able to learn for sure that you have bumble bees and if that is the case, the only way you would have them entering over and over would be if they are using some part of the deck for a nest which has access to the sunroom. Again, you’ll need to find their nest but as you will learn in our BUMBLE BEE CONTROL article, their nests are typically under flat objects like wood and not in wood like carpenter bees make them. If you spend some time outside observing the area in the morning after the sun has risen, you should be able to find some bee activity which might reveal exactly where this location is on the house. At that point you could apply some DELTAMETHRIN DUST to the entrance ways and get quick control.

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

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

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

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

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290

get rid of carpenter bees

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I need to get rid of carpenter bees that are drilling into my deck. I see at least 5 holes but suspect there could be more. When do they drill their holes? I never saw anything happening. The only reason I even found the holes is because there was a lot of powder on the patio under the deck. It looked like someone was drilling holes there was so much powder and when I looked closer, I could see perfectly clear holes in several floor planks of my deck. Do I need to replace them and what can I do to get rid of them?

Carpenter bees can drill holes quickly when wood is unfinished and untreated like most of the wood found on the bottom side of a deck. Now that you’re aware of them it’s a lot more likely that you’ll see the activity when it first starts next season. The good news is you can stop them from both drilling and nesting if by following the directions on how to treat explained in our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL article.

To get rid of the carpenter bees that are nesting now, treat their holes with DEMISE DUST in the late evening after they’ve returned to the nest and are settled. Use 1/2″ CORKS to seal the holes after you’ve dusted them and let them remain open for at least two days. Keeping them open will insure all the carpenter bees using the nest will enter and be killed; sealing them will allow the treatment to last for a long time which is key for killing the larvae that will be hatching next season.

To get rid of carpenter bees that are coming around to drill new holes, spray the MAXXTHOR EC on all exposed wood you have on you home. Carpenter bees will tend to look in areas close to where they’ve already been nesting so the existing nests will be attracting more bees until it’s treated. Renew the Maxxthor application once every 1-2 weeks if you keep seeing them around; eventually they’ll move away as this treatment will tend to repel them from the area.

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

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

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290

adding cypermethrin to paint

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I’ve had an ongoing problem with carpenter bees drilling holes in overhangs that are on all sides of my house. I’ve been spraying with the Maxxthor and it’s worked quite well but I’m wondering if there is something I can do that’s more permanent. What if I add some to the paint I use on my trim and siding? How much would I need? I generally paint every 4-5 years (a lot of touch up for sure) and if there is any way I can incorporate a chemical with the paint I’d do it.

At this time the best product to use as a paint or stain additive is NBS. Mix 1 pint per 5 gallons of paint or stain and you’ll get a good 1-2 years of protection.

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