We all love having a beautiful garden. But, most of the time, the blooming flowers also mean a few insects and bees. Some of this damage can be significant if not appropriately treated. One such bee is the carpenter bee. Carpenter bees, also called wood bees, get their name from their nesting habits; carpenter bees nest in softwood and even bamboo. Carpenter bees are excellent pollinators for many gardening plants in gardens or farms, but they can create havoc when they nest inside or around your home. Carpenter bee’s nests cause a lot of damage to softwoods such as pine and cedar. If you want to get rid of carpenter bees, this guide will be helpful to you.

How to Recognize Carpenter Bee Infestation?

Female carpenter bees discreetly make tunnels in wood to lay their eggs. These holes in the wood weaken wood over time and, hence, cause damage to our home and furniture. It is essential to recognize and get rid of carpenter bee infestation.

• Visible Bees: Carpenter bees are entirely black from the middle of their body to the tail and are mostly found around wooden objects in the house. They do not have yellow and black stripes like bumble bees.
• Holes or Sawdust in The Wood: While digging tunnels to lay eggs, carpenter bees leave behind a sawdust trail, creating almost perfectly round holes in the wood. Look out for such holes or sawdust around any wooden surface.
• Deteriorating Wood: If carpenter bees have been digging holes in any surface for a long time, the damage would eventually cause the wood to crumble and fall.

How to Identify Carpenter Bees and Carpenter Bee Damage

Carpenter bees look similar to bumble bees and honeybees. However, they are larger than honeybees and do not have yellow and black stripes on their abdomen like bumble bees; their abdomens are also shiny and hairless, unlike bumble bees. Carpenter bees are around ½ to 1 inch and have metallic reflections of various colors like yellow, dark blue, purple, or green.

Usually, carpenter bees prefer unfinished wood but can drill tunnels in hardwood, softwood, and decaying woods.

How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees?

Carpenter bees and wooden furniture are dangerous to our homes, so ensuring they’re out of our homes and gardens is essential. There are some natural ways to eliminate carpenter bees; a few require insecticides.

Non-Toxic Methods:

1. Plug Carpenter Bee Holes: If you notice carpenter bee holes, fill them with wood putty, carpenter bee plug, or caulk. It is ideal to do this early morning or evening, when the bee activity is minimal, and do not forget to wear a protective suit.
2. Natural Sprays: Insects find citrus smell appalling, so filling a bottle with lemon, orange, or other citrus essential oil and water and then spraying it around affected areas and holes will be helpful. You can also try almond oil spray.

Insecticide Methods:

1. Residual insecticide sprays: If carpenter bees are infested, natural remedies might not always work. In such cases, spraying residual insecticides twice (every 3 to 4 weeks) during spring and once in winter will be helpful.
2. Insecticide dust for direct application in holes: You can also try filling as many holes as possible with insecticide dust.

Caution:Whenever handling insecticides or dust powders during carpenter bee treatment, be very careful and follow all the safety instructions. If there are children or elders in the house, ensure they do not come in direct touch or smell of the insecticides.

Preventing Carpenter Bee Re-infestation

Getting rid of carpenter bees once is not enough, you must ensure they don’t return occasionally. A few hacks and tips can help prevent carpenter bees from re-infesting. Carpenter bees usually drill holes in unfinished wood and not on polished/painted wood. So the first thing to do is paint all the outside wood with varnish, paint, etc., to create a barrier. Pressure-treated wood is best for exteriors. It will also be helpful to get rid of any decaying or weathered wood.

Also, seal the existing holes with caulk or wood putty. And keep an eye out for new holes regularly. Treating infestation in the early stages saves you from a lot of damage.

When to Call a Professional

All these solutions are a hit or a miss, and if the infestation is recurring or very large, it would be best to call a professional pest control service. Opt for pest control service when:

• Infestation is Large: Professional help would be needed when you are dealing with a vast number of bees.
• Nests are Difficult to ReachSometimes, the nests are located where your hand won’t reach easily; it’s best to let the professionals handle it then.
• Safety ConcernsHandling insecticides on your own or going too near the bees is risky. A professional will be handling the situation better.

If you are looking for a quick and efficient way of getting rid of carpenter bees, call TakeCare Termite, Tracy, CA. We are the best exterminators in town and experts in getting rid of bees, carpenter ants, fleas, bedbugs, and other bugs. Your search for an exterminator ends here. We’re just a call away (209) 832-7300, or you can visit us through our website.

No one likes their house attacked by bugs of any sort. It is essential to look for the signs of carpenter bee infestation. Prevention is always better than cure, so taking enough preventive steps and regularly calling exterminators to help you out is the best way to ensure carpenter bees do not cause significant damage.

FAQs

1. How long does it take to get rid of carpenter bees?

   This depends on many things, like the severity of the infestation, the method used to get rid of the bees, and the products used. Traps and repellents will take longer than insecticides to give results.

2. What do carpenter bees hate the most?

   Citrus smells to ward off carpenter bees the most. So, spraying natural repellents made from essential oils of lemon or orange and mixed with water prevents carpenter bees from making their nests in existing holes. A great DIY way is to boil lemon or orange peels in water and make your citrus spray.

3. Do carpenter bees sting or bite you?

   Carpenter bees are less social than honeybees. Only female carpenter bees have stings and usually sting only in self-defense. Male carpenter bees do not sting.

4. What attracts carpenter bees?

   Female carpenter bees drill through the wood, looking for light and untreated softwood. So old homes with exposed soft, rotting wood are her best targets.

5. Are carpenter bees helpful at all?

   Yes, they are essential to our ecosystem as they are excellent pollinators. They pollinate flowers and plants throughout summer, just like honeybees and bumblebees.

6. Will carpenter bees damage my furniture?

   It is rare but possible that carpenter bees target outdoor wooden furniture. You must also follow the same removal and prevention methods for furniture.