Carpenter Bee Control

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bees attracted to light

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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

Comments

  1. I have noticed a considerable amount of bees swarming my front and back porch lights (4 total) and make such a buzzing around and end up dying off, leaving many dead bees all over the ground. They are now starting to “hang out” next to the light on the screen as well. Why could be this and how should I go about correcting this?

    • Honey bees will sometimes nest in homes and if their nest is located close to the light, they could be mistakenly trying to enter at that point. I’ve seen this happen from time to time but it’s not too common.

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

      Now what is a lot more common is to have European Hornets buzz porch lights. So if the behavior is happening at night, I suspect this could be the pest involved which is really a hornet and not a bee.

      European Hornets: www.bugspray.com/article/eurohornet.html

  2. I notice it around 4-5am and its definately bees, not so much at night. It has been increasing in the # that are coming around and this morning I actually noticed that they are around the front lights as well. I do have a “bee tree” several, several yards away from the light so I’m puzzled as to how many more are taking “notice” and the number is increasing. Not sure if I should be concerned or if there is a way to prevent this?!

    • There are some species that will choose a location to “overwinter” or hibernate and this could be at play. To prevent them from doing this, you have two spray options. One is a repellent and won’t kill anything. Generally added to paint or stain, this product can also be added to water and sprayed. Apply 1-2 to 1 gallon of mixed material to the siding and this will keep them away.

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

      To both kill and repel them, use Maxxthor and make the same application. Treatments will last 2-4 weeks and it’s highly effective on perimeter pests like this.

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