Carpenter Bee Control

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

carpenter bees coming from neighbors

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Hi! We live in a row of 100+ year old townhouses in a densely populated area. Our house is brick but our neighbor’s is wood. Each spring we have 4 or 5 annoying male carpenter bees in our yard which is too small to avoid the bees. Last year I saw one female (who appeared to be crawling under the fence to our neighbor’s yard). It looks like we have at most 2 holes in our side of the fence (based on where the males hover), but more bees come over the fence to fight with “our bees.” What do you recommend? Killing the ones we see and treating the holes in our side? We tried Raid, but even if we spray them directly they don’t die. If we get rid of our bees will it attract fewer other males from other yards? Thanks!

Carpenter bee males will linger where they suspect females to be present. Drilled holes leave female scent and will most definitely attract males. These need to be filled with DEMISE DUST and CORKED as explained in our CARPENTER BEE ARTICLE if there is ever to be a chance of the males leaving and staying away from this area.

Additionally, the fence should be treated with MAXXTHOR EC to chase away new females and help prevent new holes from being drilled. The alternative spray would be the NBS. Either one can safely be used on the fence and plants and this needs to be done if you wish to repel the bees from the area.

Now will this make all the males go away? Probably not. But it will definitely decrease their activity and since the males don’t sting, any fear you have of them is unfounded because they cannot do any damage. But as long as you have the fence and it remains untreated (meaning the nests and the wood surface), there is a strong likelihood females will try to nest in it and this will lead to males. And since males can “smell” prime nest locations, they’re no doubt attracted to the wood even before the females come around.

Lastly, killing the males you see will only lead to more coming around because these guys cruise in very distinct “territories”. And once you make the territory available by killing the currently occupying bee, another virile male will take it over almost immediately.

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

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

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

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

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290

chemical additive for wood sealer to repel carpenter bees

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Is there a chemical I can mix with the wood sealer I spray on my log home that will deter or kill carpenter bees? I have had a heavy infestation for years. Will I have to spray this chemical by itself?

The best chemical additive for carpenter bees is NBS30. It’s a completely organic, federally exempt “green” paint and stain additive that repels many nuisance pests like carpenter bees, stink bugs, roaches, boxelder bugs and ants. Basically all you do is add the jug to 5 gallons of wood sealer, mix it in and use the sealer like you normally would. The NBS will remain active for 1 year or more and will no doubt help.

Once it’s gone and the insect pests start returning, you’ll need to spray with some MAXXTHOR as listed in our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL article. This is by far the best chemical for repelling them and treatments to the exterior of the cabin should last 1 month or more.

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

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

Carpenter Bee Control: www.carpenterbees.com

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290

bees coming inside house

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Over the past week I have found 7 small weak bees either crawling or flying very slowly in one area of my. I can’t find a source and I have searched and searched. Is the source likely inside or are they coming in? We have had a very warm winter, the average temp is usually around 30 and today it is forecast for 55. Will this weather effect bees?

There are several species of bees that over winter or hibernate. And when it gets warm, they’ll become active. Based on the season, I’m leaning toward the ones you’re seeing as being carpenter bees although we also get reports of bumble bees and honey bees coming inside this early in spring too.

But carpenter bees are unique in that they hibernate in nests which they typically drill through the exterior siding of homes. Many times these nests can go undetected by the home owner and if left untreated, the bees can easily drill far enough into the wood so they’ll end up in the living space. In cases where this happens, we commonly have people report adult bees entering throughout the winter. And pupae that are developing will do the same thing; once they hatch they’ll seek the warmest point possible if they can’t get out through their normal exit hole and this will many times lead them inside the home.

Another common occurrence we find happening is that people will commonly seal up holes they find when doing some exterior work on their home. In some cases they’ll hire a handyman to fix something or paint something and in the process, he’ll seal some carpenter bee holes. In other cases we find people are doing a lot of exterior sealing of their home to help save on heating and cooling costs. In both cases one can easily seal up carpenter bee or bumble bee entrance/exit holes. This will inadvertently force the now trapped members of the nest to find an alternate way out of their nest and this can many times lead them inside to living spaces. More about this happening with carpenter bees can be read in the following post:

sealing carpenter bee hole with great stuff

This can also seal up eggs which eventually turn to adults. And with the normal exit hole now sealed, they’ll have no way to go but in.

So to answer your question; weather will always affect bees as it does most any insect. And no doubt the warmer it is outside, the more active insects will get.

As for how the bees are getting into your home; there are so many small cracks and crevices through which bees can enter any home it’s not possible to find them all. But what is possible is that once it gets warm enough, you should be able to locate where any are nesting if they are able to establish a new flight path and they want to keep using your home as a nest site.

Now whether you have carpenter bees, honey bees or bumble bees is anyone’s guess unless you can properly id the ones you’re finding. This is important because they’ll all be treated differently. For carpenter bees, the treatment will be easy using the DEMISE DUST listed in our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL article.

But if it turns out you have bumble bees or honey bees, you’ll need to read up on them first before treating since they require a different approach as explained in the following articles:

Bumblebee Control:  https://www.bugspray.com/articles99/bumblebees

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

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

bees in log home

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Good morning,

 Watched your videos and think I need to order your products. We have four loghomes in WV. One has a carpenter bees problem.

Outside surface is about 2000sq ft. There are about 50 bee holes.

Cabin is on a hill side and thus about 35 feet high on one side.

Questions;

1 How much drione dust would I need?

2 Does it have a shelf life?

3 How much Maxxthor would I need, given the fact that I would have to repeat the treatment.

4 You mention to plug the holes with corks. Do you sell these corks?

5 Are there any devices to apply these corks in high places which i can’t reach?

6 These pin stream tip sprayers, can these be bought anywhere?

7 The Demise dust, will that also work against yellow jackets nests?

Ant further suggestions?

Best regards and hope to hear from you.

No doubt loghomes are a prime target for carpenter bees. They love the logs along with many other pests like ASIAN LADYBUGS and WASPS. Fortunately the products you’ll need to treat your loghome for carpenterbees will work on just about everything else too. Now, to answer some of your questions…

I believe a 1 lb jar of DEMISE could do the job but you may need more. It really depends on just how deep the holes go so it’s tough for me to say for sure. Most jugs will treat 25-50 holes but since it will keep for up to 5 years, you may just get 2 and have some for the future. Loghomes tend to attract all kinds of pests so I’m sure it won’t go to waste.

I’d get at least the pint of MAXXTHOR EC but since it too can keep for at least 5 years, you may want to get more based on the values of getting larger sizes.

We actually carry a very exact sized CORK which is ideal for this application.

For high places, I suggest you consider getting a DUSTICK. It’s ideal for this exact application and the video’s we have on it show why it can really help.

Not sure where you’ll be able to find a good sprayer but if you can’t find one you know will do the job, go with either the SOLO HD or the 20 GALLON HOSE END.

View the Demise video I did which details why it’s one of the best products for use around the home. It’s at the bottom of the product page. I believe I can control most any pest with nothing but Demise and yeah, it will handle YELLOW JACKETS easy.

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

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

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

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

Dustick:  https://bugspray.com/equipment/dusters/dustick

Solo Sprayer:  https://bugspray.com/equipment/sprayers/eliminator-gallon-sprayer

20 Gallon Hose End:  https://www.bugspraycart.com/equipment/sprayers/gilmour-20g-390

Yellow Jacket Treatments:  https://www.bugspray.com/article/yellowjackets.html

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

Give us a call if you still have questions.

Technical Support
1-800-877-7290

what kind of wood will carpenter bees ignore?

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I am building an exterior post and beam pavilion in Kentucky and the owner is concerned about carpenter bees. We typically use douglas-fir but someone mentioned oak might be less interesting to the bees. Do you have any experience between various species for exterior timber framing?

Thanks.

In fact I’ve been amazed at the wide range of wood carpenter bees will utilize. No doubt they seem to prefer anything soft with pine being a favorite. So if you wish to deter them, go with a hardwood if possible. Hickory, walnut, cherry and oak are all good choices. And though redwood, cedar and douglas fir are supposed to be naturally repellent to bees, I can’t say I’ve seen this to hold up to be true in the real world. Of course we deal with people that have problems so that means we’ll get called because there is most definitely a bee problem. And when we do take notice, there are some common things we’ve learned over the years when it comes to the species of wood they like to target.

First, it’s obvious that the local supply of wood and good nest sites will have a big impact on whether they choose what you build or some place else to nest. So if there is an abundant supply of cellulose around the location where the pavilion will be built, there is a good chance something else will be targeted before the new wood you install. But if your posts and rafters are the only good nests sites for several acres, chances are high it will be a prime target to anything that likes to bore in wood like Powderpost Beetles, Carpenter Bees and Carpenter Ants.

Second, if the pavilion is left “natural” as in no stain or exterior finish, this will no doubt increase the odds of it becoming a target because carpenter bees seem to target naturally decaying wood over all else.

Third, if the wood is subject to a lot of moisture, mold and fungus, it will increase the odds of it becoming a nest site.

Fourth, if there is an abundant supply of bees nearby nesting in a somewhat limited amount of cellulose, the odds of them moving to your pavilion will increase.

In summary, I’ve seen them nest in virtually any kind of wood including pressure treated lumber, cedar painted with Duron Paint and even railroad ties! After witnessing all these woods being targeted, I’ve learned there is no magic species they’ll always ignore. So my suggestion is use the Oak if possible with the Douglas Fir as a second choice. But I wouldn’t stop there.

If you want to insure your project won’t become the target of anything destructive, make sure they know that spring and fall treatments with either MAXXTHOR EC or NBS REPELLENT can do a lot in the way of prevention. In my experience, treating is really the only way to insure a problem won’t develop.

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

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

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

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

Powderpost Beetles:  www.powderpostbeetles.com/powderpost-beetle-control

Carpenter Ants:  www.carpenterants.com/carpenter-ant-control