Does anyone here know how to get rid of carpenter bees?

[Pat]

Carpenter bees have made several nest in our untreated deck. I have read that painting the deck would keep the bees away, bees do not like the treated wood. I would paint the deck but it is not my house, my daughter does not want to paint the area, she would rather call the exterminator. Which is what we did last summer and my garden suffered because I had no bees in the yard.

The bees are aggressive, they fly right into our faces when we go onto the deck.

Any one here have any ideas on how to get them at least off the deck, they can stay in the yard.

 

[Trace]

If you can see where the holes are you can poison them and block them in. We used a cheap turkey baster to blow sevin dust into the holes, and caulk to fill them. You can probably use some sort of wood putty to make it match.

You do have to find all the entrances in order for this to work, though, because they'll just take one of the other doors and start chewing out a new tunnel the next day.

Unfortunately, I don't think that will send them to the yard if they're carpenter bees, though. That will kill off the colony in the deck, which is a good thing if these are the same carpenter bees I'm thinking of. They'll destroy a wood porch/deck in just a few seasons if left to their own devices.

 

[dconklin]

Like Trace said, you won't be able to get them to the yard and away from the deck. All they want is the wood and the lack of carpenter bees really shouldn't affect your garden since they don't have an interest in going near the garden. Honey bees and other bees are good for the garden and the vibration of their wings are good for the tomato plants.

We had the carpenter bees too (and I already see them this year) and the only way to get rid of them really is to poison them at night (at least that I know of.) They will be inside the hole at night so that is when you should do it. We have not had them get aggressive towards us at all, but they have made a few holes in our deck - they are a pain!

 

[limcid]

I've used Delta Dust to get rid of carpenter bees burrowing into a window sill. I've also used it to destroy a really bad yellowjack nest inside an outside wall!

The stuff works. You'll need a hand bellows to deliver it into the nest. Early morning or late at night are the best times when they are least active. You also want to make sure you treat the nest when they are all inside. In the middle of the day half the nest could be out and about.

 

[ChanellG]

You are going to have to talk to your landlord; the only way to deal with them apparently is to prevent them from making a home in the porch wood in the first place. You might want to read this article: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7417.html

Here's an excerpt:

MANAGEMENT

Prevention is the main approach to managing carpenter bees. If possible, susceptible exterior parts of a building should be constructed out of hardwoods not normally attacked by the bees for nests. On all buildings, fill depressions and cracks in wood surfaces so they are less attractive. Paint or varnish exposed surfaces regularly to reduce weathering. Fill unoccupied holes with steel wool and caulk to prevent their reuse. Wait until after bees have emerged before filling the tunnels. Once filled, paint or varnish the repaired surfaces. Protect rough areas, such as ends of timbers, with wire screening or metal flashing.

Carpenter bees are generally considered beneficial insects because they help pollinate various crop and noncrop plants. Under most conditions they can be successfully controlled using the preventive measures described above. If infestation is high or risk of damage is great, insecticides may be used to augment other methods of control. To do this, treat active nests (those containing eggs, larvae, or pupae) with liquid or dust formulations of insecticides or desiccant dusts. Liquid formulations containing permethrin and cyfluthrin and dusts containing boric acid are currently labeled for use against carpenter bees. Desiccant dusts are inert dusts combined with absorptive powders (diatomaceous earth or boric acid) that destroy insects by abrading their protective outer body cover, causing them to dry out. Desiccant dusts are low in toxicity to people and animals and do not lose their effectiveness over time, so long as they do not get wet. Avoid inhaling these materials, however, because they can cause serious lung irritation.
After the brood is killed, repair holes with steel wool and wood filler, then repaint or varnish the repaired surface

 

[CanadianLori]

We siliconed their holes shut.

 

[ongongong]

Spray affected areas with citrus spray!

 

[Pat]

Now that spring is here the bees will be back. I like the idea of siliconing their holes, did they stay gone? Every year we have to have a company come out to spray the same spots.

 

[kevinkimers]

I am not 100% sure about getting rid of them, all I know is what we did. My mother was having a huge issue with carpenter bees. They bore into the wood of her house and were in the crawl space. Her friend plugged the holes and covered the vents. Then sprayed in the crawl space. We never had a problem with them again since then and that was almost 30 years ago.

 

[Arielphf]

We keep them in check by keeping a badminton racket on the back porch. Those little guys fly in our faces, we whack them!

OK, maybe we don't keep them in check, but it sure is fun!