Asked on Apr 05, 2014

Carpenter Bees

Bev
by Bev
My Husband and I recently moved from S. Fl to the Mountains of TN. We bought our dream home...a log home. Now we have carpenter bees burrowing holes in our siding. The house is 2 stories with a cathedral ceiling...very high. We looked up on line and the solution was to revarnish ( I assume varnish is stain?) Is this the only solution? Expensive, it like painting your house. The solution said you have to do this every year....yikes!
  9 answers
  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Apr 05, 2014
    Sometimes the best thing to do is call a professional. Before I would spend what time, money and effort it took to repaint...particularly every year...I would get an expert opinion. I would call a well known company that offers a guarantee and get a work bond!
  • Chris aka monkey Chris aka monkey on Apr 05, 2014
    there are carpenter bee traps also xx
  • Jan Remling Jan Remling on Apr 05, 2014
    I agree with Jeanette esp because you are new to the area and there might be other problems to watch for as well.
  • Jamala W Jamala W on Apr 05, 2014
    we had them under our house and exterminated..that helped alot
  • Therese C Therese C on Apr 06, 2014
    The best suggestion I can give you, that won't break the bank, is this: For existing tunnels, insecticidal dust, like Sevin Dust, has been found to be the most effective. Look for a pyrethroid as the active ingredient and pump powder into the opening. After applying the powder, plug the holes with Elmer's wood glue and pieces of dowel. Sevin Dust is the most environmentally safe dust, but as with any pesticide, read all precautions well. My brother owned a log cabin for years and Carpenter Bees were a real battle. The male bees will hover around you, but it is a bluff, they have no stingers. Females have stingers, but only sting if severely provoked. Stings from these bees are VERY rare. They are more a pest that a danger. The females do the drilling (and you can hear it), they go into the wood then turn at about a 90Ā° angle, and travel 1-4 feet inside the wood, where they stop to bore out a nest. Keep this area of infestation treated well, as the young bees will return each spring to nest. Hope this helps!
  • Bev Bev on Apr 06, 2014
    Thanks everyone.
  • The bees are attracted to the unpainted wood behind the eaves. Once the bees hatch they the young ones come back to the nesting area to burrow into a new spot and start again. Treating the holes with a insecticide such as a dust is the proper way to correct this issue. Once treated you need to fill the hole with putty. You will need to be aggressive with this until you break the life cycle of the young bees. Ideally a professional company should be consulted if they are overwhelming the house. These bees can do quite a lot of damaged in a short time.
  • Lee McKenzie Lee McKenzie on Apr 07, 2014
    Woodbridge Environmental is right. You have to be really aggressive with them and hiring a professional to treat is probably the best choice. Painting the wood after having it treated will help stop them from returning the next year. Our log cabin has been treated multiple times, but we didn't paint it, and the bees keep coming back.
  • Donna Allen Donna Allen on Jun 17, 2015
    This is the most effective invention ever. I have masses of carpenter bees every Spring and this works. Its a wooden box with a soda bottle attached. The bees are drawn in and can't get out. These are available at the farm supply stores. If you cannot find one, please call Copiah county Coop at 601-894-1231 and they will ship you one.