Home » Misc » Getting rid of wood bees

Getting rid of wood bees


8 Ways to get rid of Carpenter Bees

The safest way to get rid of Carpenter Bees would be to call a professional bee removal team, such as Bee Serious Bee Removal because when it comes to the safety of your family, you only want the best.

With over 20,000 different species of bees in the world, there are bound to be a few of them that are more of a hindrance than a help. One of those bees is the Carpenter Bee. They look similar to Bumblebees in size and general shape but whereas Bumblebees usually nest in the ground, Carpenter Bees nest and lay their eggs in wood that they have drilled into for protection. If you notice these wood dwellers living in your home, here are 8 ways you can get rid of Carpenter bees on your own.

Although Carpenter Bees are typically docile, they can still cause big problems in your home. The male hovers just outside the nest to protect and fight off any intruders or other bees by engaging in physical combat, albeit without a stinger. The female, who actually does have a stinger, acts as a last line of defense for those who enter the nest. The real problem with Carpenter Bees is what they do to the wooden features of your home. These little insects bore holes out of soft wood and create a series of tunnels to lay their eggs and seek refuge from the weather and danger outside of the nest. Even though this doesn’t seem too bad, over time it will do a lot of damage to your home. Carpenter Bees are looking for raw or untreated wood, damp wood and older outdoor furnishings such as tables and chairs. This means the most common places you will find them is door frames, windows, the siding of your home, patio furniture and exposed wooden beams.

If you have realized that you have a Carpenter Bee infestation, here are a few simple ways to get rid of them or protect your home before they come around looking for a new place to build a nest:

1. Paint or seal any exposed wood around your home.

These little bees are looking for easy to drill wood, therefore, if your deck, door frame or windows are left untreated, they are the prime candidate for a bee infestation.

2. Vacuum the bees out with a wet-vac.

This method is best if the nest is fairly new and if you have a high powered wet-vac. The best time to try this is to wait until the evening because the bees will be back in the nest for the night.

3. Make a lot of noise.

Carpenter bees enjoy the quiet so if you find yourself with some unwanted guests, set up a radio or speaker right next to or on top of where the nest is. Not only does the music disorient them, the vibrations will cause them to evacuate their nest. Often times, once a severe problem has happened in their nest, they will not return to that same place anymore.

4. Make a citrus spray.

Carpenter Bees are naturally repelled by the smell of citrus. in a small pot of water, slice the citrus fruit and boil it in the water for 10-15 minutes to release the juice. Let the citrus water cool down and pour it into a spray bottle with a “stream” nozzle and spray it into the nest site.

5. Boric Acid.

This common household item can be used for a bevy of different DIY insect-removal projects. Mix 3 parts water with 1 part boric acid in a spray bottle and spray inside the entrance hole. This is very poisonous to the carpenter bees and will exterminate them within an hour.

6. Aerosol Carburetor Cleaner.

Although this is not the most natural remedy, it works. Whether they are inside when you spray it inside or not, it will either kill them or make their nest inhabitable.

7. Essential Oils.

Carpenter Bees are very sensitive when it comes to scents inside their nest. Peppermint, tea tree and lemon essential oils are excellent for making their nest unbearable thus making them leave for good. Although this isn’t a permanent solution, it will buy you a little time to safely get them out of the nest without hurting them so you can properly seal the entrance site.

8. Pyrethrum Spray.

Pyrethrum, also called Tanacetum, is a flower that is used a lot in natural pesticides. It is one of the strongest natural insecticides that is allowed in organic gardening.

If you notice a carpenter bee hovering around your house, you can bet there is an entrance to their nest nearby. Although home remedies seem easy and foolproof, you should always wear protective gear when handling chemicals as well as disturbing an insect nest.

If you need help with bee removal, please do not hesitate to contact us today!

How to get rid of carpenter bees

(Image credit: Diane Helentjaris/Unsplash)

Carpenter bees can damage wooden structures, which is why you need to look out for them, and discourage them from these parts of your home. 

Part of the Xylocopa genus of the Apidae, or bee family, carpenter bees are common in the USA, and while they are important pollinators of many flowering plants, can damage additions, sheds, pergolas and much more. 

Unlike with getting rid of wasps, where you may seek to kill them if you have a real problem, it is far better to deter carpenter bees in the first place – they are only seen as pests because of the damage they can do to buildings.

How to get rid of carpenter bees

There are many ways to get rid of carpenter bees, from doing so without killing them to using spray and even vinegar. These are the most effective ways of tackling them.

How to get rid of carpenter bees without killing them

To get rid of carpenter bees without killing them, it’s best to try natural methods – any treatment that can harm the environment, and in particular useful pollinators, is best avoided. If you’re carrying out any anti-bee treatments, do so at dusk to avoid the bees. 

To make wooden structures much less appealing to carpenter bees, it's vital to varnish or paint them – carpenter bees love untreated ior unstained wood, but hate wood that has been treated. This is an easy fix and will protect wood structures from the weather, too.

Discourage carpenter bees with insecticide

Of course, you can kill carpenter bees with insecticide but that should only be done in desperate circumstances because, as we say, these are important pollinators. It is far better to prevent them boring into wood in the first place. If you are not looking for a natural solution, which is our preferred option, spraying an insecticide on to the wood where carpenter bees will or have in the past gathered before they arrive will deter them. This should be done in late winter, since carpenter bees tend to arrive in spring. 

How to get rid of carpenter bees with spray

You can use carpenter bee spray to get deter them. For a natural solution that deters rather than kills them – our preferred route – use citrus scents, which they dislike to get rid of them.

To make your own, boil up citrus fruit rinds in water, or add some drops of citrus oil to water, and spray around the tell-tale holes. Alternatively, try a few drops of almond oil. If you’re worried about the solution marking the wood, try it out in an inconspicuous area first.

If you need a last resort, you can use a chemical carpenter bee spray, though be aware that insecticides are hazardous to children and pets so keep them in the house while you work, and put on protective clothing.  

Use carpenter bee spray with care, to avoid harming other friendly creatures and insects around the garden. Specialist insecticides designed for carpenter bees can be sprayed around and into their holes. Try a foaming aerosol to get right into the tunnels the bees create, or use an insecticidal liquid in a trigger spray. Alternatively, an insecticidal dust can be puffed into the holes. 

You might need to make repeat applications, starting from early spring. Once the bees have died, seal up the holes to prevent them being used by new bees. Lengths of wooden dowelling or caulk can be used to plug the holes. 

Worried about getting too close to carpenter bees? We would always advise calling in a professional firm to do the job for you.

How to get rid of carpenter bees with sound

It’s said that carpenter bees are affected by sound, so by turning up the volume to teenager-level close to the carpenter bees’ home, the vibrations might encourage them to move out.  

Do explain to your neighbors before blasting them with noise for a couple of days.

Another option is to try wind chimes, which may be enough to deter them from settling.

Can I use a carpenter bee trap?

You certainly can use a carpenter bee trap. The bees fly in but they can’t escape. Choose one that’s designed specifically for carpenter bees. Hang the trap close to the affected wood. You can also make your own bee trap, constructing a wooden box with angled holes for the bee to enter, with a plastic jar fixed to the bottom – the bees get in, head towards the light but can’t get out.

How to get rid of carpenter bees with vinegar

To get rid of carpenter bees with vinegar, mix up a strong solution of vinegar and water and spray it directly into the bees' holes. This will kill carpenter bee larvae, so  if you are looking to deter them rather than kill them, you might want to look to more bee-friendly options.

How to kill carpenter bees with WD40

You can use WD40 to get rid of carpenter bees – spray it into their nest and they will die or flee quickly. However, this is another method of getting rid of carpenter bees that isn't friendly, is risky to carry out – and we would advise calling in the professionals if you have a real problem rather than tackling it yourself.

What do carpenter bees hate most?

Bees really hate the scent of citrus oil, but they also avoid wood that's been treated, and dislike jarring noise.

How do I recognize carpenter bees?

Unlike honeybees or bumblebees, carpenter bees don’t live in colonies, preferring to excavate a tunnel to lay their eggs. Take a closer look at wooden structures around the yard. 

Carpenter bees like to bore their way into wood – especially sheds, pergolas, posts, porches, window trim and even the eaves of the house. Once they’ve bored a smooth, round hole, about ½ in (1.5cm) in diameter, they make a right-angled turn to construct a burrow, hidden from sight, creating cells for individual eggs.

Carpenter bees differ from the honey bees and bumblebees that we usually spot flitting from plant to plant, collecting pollen. They are much larger and instead of the furry yellow and black stripes, their abdomens are black and shiny. The males don’t sting though they can fly too close for comfort if they feel you’re on their territory. But bother a female carpenter bee at your peril, as they can sting.

How can I spot carpenter bee damage?

To spot carpenter bee damage, take a closer look at wooden structures around the yard. Carpenter bees like to bore their way into wood – especially sheds, pergolas, posts, porches, window trim and even the eaves of the house. 

You might spot sawdust by the holes where a bee has been boring. Older holes can also be enlarged or reused by the bees. Adult bees can overwinter in the tunnels, emerging in spring to mate. Over time, the damage can result in decay, moisture retention and rot.

Lucy Searle has written about interiors, property and gardens since 1990, working her way around the interiors departments of women's magazines before switching to interiors-only titles in the mid-nineties. She was Associate Editor on Ideal Home, and Launch Editor of 4Homes magazine, before moving into digital in 2007, launching Channel 4's flagship website, Channel4.com/4homes. In 2018, Lucy took on the role of Global Editor in Chief for Realhomes.com, taking the site from a small magazine add-on to a global success. She was asked to repeat that success at Homes & Gardens, where she has also taken on the editorship of the magazine. 

folk remedies and chemicals to bring out wild bees

We live in a private house and one day we noticed that someone was buzzing above the ceiling. The sound was heard both on the first floor and from the attic.

The husband dismantled part of the cladding of the house from the outside and found a bee nest under it. We did not do anything ourselves and called a beekeeper from the village. He came in a special suit and pulled out the nest. The bees didn't show up anymore.

Since you are talking about other insects, where do bees come from in houses? And what if there is no beekeeper neighbor?

Andrey Nenastiev

drove the bees out of his house on his own

Author's profile

Bees and wasps start in the house because they are warm and comfortable there. If there are places where you can fly freely and where people do not go, insects settle in them. If there is an apiary nearby, then the probability of getting such neighbors is higher.

I will tell you how you can fight the bees on your own and prevent them from making nests again.

Why start with humane methods

Bees bring many benefits and are important for the ecosystem, so it is better not to destroy them, but first try to move the hive to another place. It's risky, but if you follow security measures, it's possible.

The bees can still return to their old place. To avoid this, beekeepers advise moving the hive to an existing one. For example, find wild bees in the forest or look for an apiary in the neighborhood. Then the families of bees will mix, and, perhaps, all will remain in one place.

But sometimes the situation is hopeless: bees are dangerous for the inhabitants of the house, especially for children. Then the insects need to be evicted as quickly and efficiently as possible. I will talk about all the methods of dealing with bees, but some of them cannot be called humane. If you know more efficient and gentle ways, tell us in the comments.

How to prepare for the fight against bees

There are wild bees - they fly in from the forest, as well as domestic bees that have flown in from the apiary. It is better to deal with wild bees at the beginning of spring: at this time there are fewer insects in the hive, and the risk that they will bite is lower. It is recommended to expel domestic bees at the end of winter, when the insects are as weak as possible due to the cold.

People come to bee nests late in the evening or early in the morning: at this time all the bees are at home, but the peak of their activity has not yet come or has already passed.

Before the operation to drive out the bees, you need to dress in such a way that there are no exposed parts of the body. Bees can bite through thin fabric, so you need a tight jacket and pants. If available, wear a hat with a mosquito net. If you use chemicals, the activity of the bees may persist for some time. Therefore, it is better to work not in shales, but in rubber boots.

Bees are sensitive to any smell. Before anti-bee activities, it is better not to smoke or drink, even for courage: bees can smell alcohol vapors or the smell of tobacco and attack first.

If the bee nevertheless stings, you need to check if there is a sting left in the place of the bite. If yes, then remove it with tweezers. The bite site should be treated with hydrogen peroxide or a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then apply cold. You can also take an antihistamine, such as Claritin or Tavegil, to relieve swelling.

/list/insects/

6 insects that can ruin a trip to Russia

How to get rid of bees with folk remedies

Sulfur wick. This is a device that is used by masters of wooden barrels to disinfect them. This is an old and inhumane method of dealing with bees. The wick is set on fire - it starts emitting sulfuric smoke, from which the bees die.

The method will work if the burning fuse can be safely planted in close proximity to the hive. But, as a rule, this is not possible.

Sulfur wick can be ordered on the Internet, they are also sometimes sold in household chemical stores. These are the prices from the Bondarny Dvor website

Gasoline. Filling the nest with gasoline will kill the insects. It is poured out of a container or sprayed with an airbrush. Method unsafe: gasoline is toxic and flammable. In addition, it is difficult to get close to the hive even with a bucket of gasoline, because the nests are usually located high.

Recordings with birdsong. Bees are afraid of loud sound, and also the singing of birds. These two factors are combined. Speakers are placed next to the hive and recordings of bird voices are turned on as loudly as possible. Perhaps the bees will leave the hive voluntarily. True, it is possible that they will return as soon as the owners turn off the sound.

Smoke from fires. Bees do not like smoke, so the nest can be fumigated with smoke from a fire. To do this, you should set fire to dry branches, garbage or make a barbecue near the beehive when the wind is in its direction.

But if the hive is well hidden in a wall or in an attic, there is little chance that the smoke will penetrate there.

Vinegar, beer or juice traps. You can buy bee traps in stores or make your own from a plastic bottle: it is cut in half, and then the top is turned over and inserted into the bottom part with the neck down. A vinegar solution is poured onto the bottom at the rate of 7-8 ml per 1 liter of water. Instead of vinegar, you can pour beer, juice, compote or any other sweet drink. Drinks are taken by eye.

Drinks are designed to lure insects into a trap through which they can no longer fly back out. Traps are placed in places where bees fly. Bottles can be nailed to carnations or hung on a rope.

An amazing story 09/02/19

Neighbor trees, a fence and an apiary interfered with a woman. She got rid of them

Traps are placed in places where bees fly. Bottles can be nailed to carnations or hung on a rope.

Traps are effective for catching "scout" bees who sniff out where to make a hive. When the hive in the house is already working, there is little sense from them. Source: Podvorye website

Mounting foam. If you know exactly the places where the bees enter the hive in the house, you can seal the gaps with mounting foam. Thus, the bees are deprived of the road to the nest.

How to get rid of bees in other ways

You can eliminate the hives with the help of smoke and insecticides.

Smoke-out. Professional beekeepers fumigate hives with smoke to reduce bee activity. When the bees feel the smoke, they tighten their stingers and go into the hive. Beekeepers get smoke with the help of a special installation - a smoker. This is a device similar to a kettle, inside of which burning wood chips are laid. There are smokers with hand bellows - they need to be pumped in order for smoke to come out. And there are electric ones - it's much more convenient.

When the hive is fumigated and the bees have calmed down, the nest is taken with hands in thick gloves and transferred to another place.

/ti-pchela-ya-pchelovod/

A short guide to beekeeping in the 21st century

A smoker with hand bellows costs about 900 R, but it is inconvenient to use. This one runs on batteries. Source: website "Beekeeper"

Use of chemicals. This is an extreme measure that we do not recommend. Bees are poisoned with universal insecticides. You can do it yourself or call an exterminator.

5000 Р

on average, the exterminator will take for the destruction of one hive

Get, Medilis-Ziper, Smelnet, Moskitol or ordinary dichlorvos are used against bees. The means are sprayed into the hive, after a day the procedure is repeated. Only after that the nest is removed and burned.

Insecticides can be sprayed with a spray gun or spray gun, or diluted in water and loaded into traps. To do this, a solution of poison and water must be mixed with 150 ml of honey. The mixture is poured into traps, which are placed as close as possible to the hive.

Fighting bees with the help of professional insecticides is expensive and risky: you still need to get closer to the hive. Source: Pesthunter website

How I drove out the bees

We encountered bees two years after we bought a private house. My wife noticed that insects often flew under the roof. Our roof is covered with ondulin, it is wavy like slate - bees climbed under the edges of the waves. Over time, they became more and more. A month later, I found another place where the bees flew - on the other side of the house.

I started with relatively humane methods: I went to a garden supply store and bought two bee traps for 50 R each. I also took a bottle of beer to pour it into the traps and lure the bees.

100 R

I spent on bee traps

We hung the traps on the way to one of the proposed nesting sites. Three days later, a certain number of bees actually accumulated inside. I shook out the traps on the road. But a lot of bees still flew.

We forgot about this problem until I started building the boiler room. According to my plan, it was supposed to adjoin the house, and I supposed to attach the rafters for the roof of the extension to the upper beam of the log house. When I, climbing onto the goats, took off the lining, I felt a strong pain in my finger - I was bitten by a bee. A six-meter cladding board fell to the ground, and I managed to see a huge bee nest in the mineral wool. The bees attacked me. I had to jump to the ground from a height of two meters and flee in the house.

This is my house. The beehive was in the lantern area behind the white boards. The bees settled in insulation

. I smeared my finger with ointment and decided to defeat the bees immediately, because the rafters had to be put up today, otherwise the matter would be delayed. In addition, I could not allow the angry bees to bite the children, so I took an airbrush, poured White Spirit into it and began to water the nest from the ground. The stench was unbearable. The bees tried to attack me, but my wife prudently gave me a winter jacket. In the heat of +30 °C, I did not feel very good in it, but it protected from bites. In addition, I filled the entire space around me with white spirit in advance.

After chemical preparation, I again climbed onto the goats, knocked down the nest with a shovel, filled it again with a spray gun and carried it out onto the road.

Community 01/15/21

How to get rid of ants in an apartment or country house?

I destroyed the second nest later, when I needed to climb into the attic. I planned to make a hood in the bathroom - for this it was necessary to lay pipes above the ceiling. When I tore off the lining from the ceiling, I heard a buzzing, and then I saw bees.

The nest was again in mineral wool, but this time we were separated by a vapor barrier film. This made everything easier, since the bees could not fly at me. However, I didn’t have access to the nest to somehow take it out and take it out.

I had to buy dichlorvos at a household chemical store for 90 R and spray it from below directly onto the film. The bees fell on top of her one by one. When I realized that they were no longer able to fly, I found the junction of the film, disconnected it, put my hand with the spray can into the slot and filled the nest directly. The wife screamed that a queen bee the size of a walnut had flown out of somewhere in the next room. We let her out the window.

After that, I was able to pull out the nest with a small spatula. I also took it to the road. We didn't have any more bees.

What to do to prevent bees from reappearing

If there is an apiary near the house, the bees will certainly cause problems. Even if they do not plant a beehive in the house, they will fly around the site and disturb the owners.

By law, a beekeeper must build a fence around his hives at least two meters high.

paragraph 4 of the instructions for the maintenance of bee families and the organization of beekeeping in settlements and summer cottages

The owners of the house can drive away the bees if they plant special plants on the site. Bees do not like basil, lemon balm, lavender and mint. They also help calendula, henbane, hellebore, wormwood, rhododendron. You can also plant hot peppers.

If the bees fly to the plot anyway, they can be concentrated in one place. To do this, take a bucket of water and dilute sugar in it. The bees will gather around this bucket. The disadvantage of this method: the bucket must constantly stand on the site.

You can scare away bees with an ultrasonic repeller. This is a device resembling a night light that is plugged into an outlet. The repeller generates ultrasound that frightens insects and rodents. There is no single answer about the effectiveness of such devices.

Ultrasonic repellers are mainly designed to work indoors: they need electricity and plus temperature. Outdoor battery-powered devices are more expensive.

Most ultrasonic repellers are positioned as universal - from all insects and rodents. There is no repeller from bees. These are offers on Yandex Market

What is the result

How to deal with bees in a private house:

  1. You need to approach the hive without foreign odors and in protective clothing. Instead of a beekeeper's suit, a thick winter jacket and pants, goggles, a respirator, and a winter hat are suitable.
  2. The easiest way to destroy a hive is to douse it with something caustic at a safe distance. Do not do this if you can simply move the hive to another place: bees are important to nature.
  3. After the destruction of the hive, it is desirable to carry it as far as possible.
  4. To prevent bees from reappearing, special plants are planted on the site, and ultrasonic repellers are installed in the house. It is also worth checking all the joints and crevices where bees can fly in and seal them. It will also help against other insects and rodents.

What to do? Readers ask - experts answer

Ask their question

90,000 Wild bees in the wall of the house, how to display

Content:

The appearance of wild bees in the house is considered a rare but unpleasant phenomenon. Often there are nests in forests, in old trees, or insects find shelter in suburban areas and cottages. Such "neighbors" must be evicted. If the bees feel the danger, they can strongly bite a person. You need to know what to do to get the bees out.

Before proceeding with breeding, it is worth making sure that these are bees, and not hornets or wasps. Each type of insect must be fought with different methods. Wild bees have a uniform color and are smaller than domestic honey bees. Up to 100 thousand individuals live in one family, and the weight of their house reaches 40 kg.

Favorite places where bees like to settle:

Wild bees

How to get rid of wild bees

If wild insects have settled in the wall of the house, there are 5 ways to remove them yourself:

Important! It is strictly forbidden to isolate pests with concrete mortar. The bees will quickly orient themselves, begin to make holes further and appear inside the house. By this point, they can become very angry.

How to deal with wild bees in the country

How to get rid of bees

Wild bees pose a threat to humans, because they can attack, and they do not need a reason to do so. If a hive is found in a country house, it must be urgently removed, but before stirring it, you need to thoroughly prepare.

For this you will need:

How to get rid of bees

The best time to smoke is in the evening, as at this time all the bees are already in the hive.

How to properly dispose of the hive:

  1. At the first stage, the hive is fumigated. Bees become calm and slow.
  2. The spray bottle is shaken and the contents are sprayed into all the crevices of the hive. For maximum effect, the aerosol should not be saved.
  3. After spraying, the entrance is securely closed.
  4. The nest is placed in a bag and tied tightly.

After the swarm wakes up, it will try to break out of the trap, so you should quickly get rid of the bag.

Bees - pests of wooden houses

How to get rid of bees in the country

Tree bees are interesting insects: outwardly similar to bumblebees and are not considered aggressive, but they carry another danger: they easily make passages in dry wood and arrange nests inside the walls.

Please note! Tree bees love the sun, so burrows should be sought on sunny walls. In the shade, insects settle in rare cases.

If moves are detected, action is taken immediately.

What will help get rid of annoying "neighbors":

Important! Fighting each individual separately will not bring results. As long as the queen lives in the hive, her family will quickly replenish with young bees. It is important to destroy the uterus, only then her whole family will fall apart.

Bees - pests of wooden houses

In order to avoid pests, prevention is important, as the bees will remember the former house and will be able to return back:

Additional information! If a swarm is seen outside the courtyard, do not panic ahead of time. If there is no hive yet, the bees will soon fly away. This behavior indicates that the queen is gathering a colony.

If the bees appeared under the roof

If the dwelling is seen in the attic, it should not be covered with cement. This method will not destroy the nest, but will only force the swarm to make a new exit, and after such manipulation it is unlikely to be friendly.

How to get rid of bees in the wall of a wooden house

If you decide to get rid of the swarm yourself, you will have to prepare. Take care of your personal safety first. To reduce the activity of bees, they are fumigated. Then the insecticide is sprayed and the outlet is tightly closed from the nest. With hands in thick gloves, the nest is taken and hidden in a bag. What to do with the bag next is everyone's desire, but more often it is burned. At the end of the procedure, it is required to inspect the roof and additionally treat it with an insecticide.

Please note! To destroy the hive, it is better to choose the end of winter. At this time, the number of individuals is minimal. If the insect family is large, it is better to trust the work of professionals.

Roofed Bees

Helpful Hints

It is not recommended to seal bees in walls because they will find a new way out. Even if a certain number of insects die, they will become bait for other unpleasant pests.

If the bees are located outside the yard or are bred with neighbors, the only option is a fence 2-3 meters high. The method is expensive, but there will be no more insects in the yard. Experienced beekeepers note that insects do not like the smell of lavender, so they advise planting it in the yard.

Other helpful hints: