How do i get rid of wood boring bees


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.  

How To Get Rid Of Carpenter Bees

How To Get Rid Of Carpenter Bees | Do-It-Yourself Pest Control

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If you currently have a carpenter bee infestation, the time to treat is today. Follow these guidelines to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees safely.

Carpenter bees are a beneficial insect but they are also destructive to wooden structures. Female Carpenter Bees drill holes into any wooden structure they can find in order to lay their eggs. This article details the best ways to identify carpenter bees, prevent infestations, and stop them from doing further damage to your home.

How To Identify A Carpenter Bee

Carpenter Bees look similar to Bumble Bees - large, with yellow and black patterns.

They are about 1/2 to 1 inch and may have some metallic reflections ranging from dark blue, yellow, green, or purple tints. Their abdomens are bare and shiny, compared to the Bumble Bee. Bumble Bees are not a wood boring insect. You’re more likely to find them sitting on flowers in the yard. They are highly beneficial and we suggest leaving them to tend to pollination.

Carpenter Bees are commonly found in the spring. They hover around eaves, porch rails, and under decks and any other unpainted wood around your home. Sometimes carpenter bees are called "wood bees" because they bore into wood.

For More Information:

Difference Between Carpenter Bees and Bumble Bees

Carpenter Bee vs. Bumble Bee

Signs of Carpenter Bee Infestations

Carpenter Bees make holes about 1/2 inch in diameter. They prefer unfinished wood, but are capable of drilling and creating tunnels in seasoned hardwoods, softwoods, and decaying woods. Frass is the result of already damaged wood. It looks like sawdust around the drilling areas.

Female carpenter bees bore channels (also known as a main corridor in wood). The damaged area will be 6" to as long as 4 feet wide. The female lays her eggs in areas called "galleries" or "cells". She deposits eggs into these galleries and brings feeds them with a mass of pollen for the newly larvae to feed. She then seals them off to ensure their development before she repeats the next egg process. This is one of the reasons it can be so hard to get rid of carpenter bees.

For More Information:

Carpenter Bee Signs/Identification

Carpenter Bee Frass

How To Get Rid Of Carpenter Bees (3 Steps)

1. Spray A Residual Insecticide to Kill Carpenter Bees

If you have an active infestation, spray the areas where carpenter bees are boring into wood with:

Their holes are usually located on the underside of wood surfaces, We recommend spraying twice during the spring months at intervals of 3-4 weeks to most efficiently prevent carpenter bee damage.

When protected from the elements like rain, residual insecticides will last 2 to 3 months. If applied in late winter, the treatment will stay active through most of the carpenter bee season.

Severe Infestations

You may need to repeat carpenter bee treatments more than twice during the spring. We suggest an interval of two weeks for spray treatments. After each spray treatment, apply D-Fense Dust or Tempo Dust to all possible carpenter bee nests, holes or entry points.

2. Use Dust In Carpenter Bee Nests

To get rid of an active Carpenter Bee infestation, apply Tempo Dust in every carpenter bee hole that you find. Use a recommended duster such as the JT Eaton Hand Bellow Duster

Although the initial damage to wood appears as a small hole, only an inch or two deep, it usually extends at a 90-degree angle. The female will turn 90 degrees and bore a channel from 6 inches to as long as 4 feet. This channel serves as the main corridor from which she will drill small chambers. These chambers serve as egg nests. She deposits eggs. Brings in food, and then seals off the area to ensure the egg's development.

Carpenter Bee entering hole

3. Plug Carpenter Bee Holes

Carpenter Bee Holes

(Optional Step)- A Non-Chemical Natural Approach

Carpenter Bee Traps and Natural Repellent

For those considering a non-chemical approach to carpenter bee control, we recommend carpenter bee traps such as, Best Bee Trap or Citrus Carpenter Bee Repellent

Carpenter bee traps are designed to attract and trap the bees. If you have an existing infestation, hang the trap directly over the carpenter bee holes. If you do not have a current infestation, hang the traps at the peaks and corners of your home, preferably on the sunniest side of your house.

How To Prevent Carpenter Bee Infestations

Successfully preventing carpenter bees is determined by the time of year. You can prevent carpenter bee infestations if you tackle the situation early in the season.

Key Takeaway

Prevent holes by spraying insecticide concentrates. Treat existing holes with insecticide dusts.

Residual Insecticides (For Active Infestations Or Prevention)

These residual insecticides will make several gallons of finished product and can also be used to treat a broad variety of insects. Apply them for carpenter bee prevention, or if you have an active infestation.

Bee Traps and Natural Solutions

Carpenter Bee Traps offer an addition to your carpenter bee treatment or a stand-alone natural treatment method.

Citrus Spray Carpenter Bee Repellent is a natural repellent against carpenter bees.

Carpenter Bee Kits (Combines residual insecticides and Dusts)

Written by our resident pest control expert Ken Martin.

How To Discourage Woodpeckers

Key Takeaway

Woodpeckers may peck into carpenter bee tunnels in the wood trying to eat the bee larvae. Spray a residual insecticide into the carpenter bee holes and on the wood in the spring. This will discourage the carpenter bees from attacking the wood. This, in turn, will discourage woodpeckers.

Written by our resident pest control expert Ken Martin.

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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? nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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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. nine0003 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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

When the hive is fumigated and the bees have calmed down, the nest is taken with thick gloved hands 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. nine0003

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. nine0003 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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003 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. nine0003

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.

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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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0164
  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. nine0164

What to do? Readers ask - experts answer

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Efficient methods of reducing the budget at the dacha

Summer months - rozpal life coma. Vletku bjoli fly, are engaged in active collection of nectar from flowers, trees, chagarniks. Ale do not start bjoli and axes are kind to people. If you or your children are allergic to bjolina, you should think about it,

how to get in touch with the suisidskih bdzhil

chi os without shkodi for health.

The importance of fighting wasps and bjols

For a great part of the hour, the comakhs are peaceful, but the stench can show aggression to people or creatures:

  • in case of a threat to one's life, an hour for the collection of nectar;
  • yakscho your budinok or apartment roztashovani on the way їх route lita or bіla drive; nine0164
  • in rainy weather - the stench melts even more drastically, aggressively.
  • Particularly bothering tsі komakhi during the period of linden and spring - at this hour grapes, licorice varieties of apples, pears ripen. It is not uncommon to stay at the dacha when picking fruit is not only unbearable, but rather unsafe. It is necessary to catch up on all outside entries, even if you bite into these clods, provoking a snag, reddening of a stung shkiri vineyard and the most severe anaphylactic shock. The existence of wasps and bjols is not safe for children whose immune system is not yet ready to attack the highly toxic toxins in their bodies. nine0003

    So you are staying in the countryside, as if on the territory of a country house of tasting in the water. Axes, bjoli even love to change the bіla vodi - in which case you varto get used to serious calls to fight with these komakhs.

    Main ways of watering bjil and os

    You can look out for these uninvited guests for the help of such foreign entrances, like hanging out of roslin. Talk about peppermint, medicinal calendula, catnip, cloves, lavender, lemon balm and polyna. Intense smell, rich ethereal oils of tsikh roslin indlyakuyut bdzhil and other coma, and at the same time do not spoof them shkodi. It is also possible to grow on bushes, trees, white vuliki, little naphthalene. nine0003

    Zrobiti os i bdzhіl mlyavimi it is possible for help dim - rozpalyuvannya bug of small size allow vіdlyakati komakh. The citronella candle can produce the same effect. You can spread it like a bіlya booth, so it can be done all over the territory of the delyanka.

    In order to change the route of a roy swarm through your plot, you can encourage a strong parkan - the altitude is not to be blamed, but lower than 2 meters. Instead of parkan, you can hang a number of chagarniks, but it will be necessary to bud, until the stench grows to the required height. nine0203

    Wasp and bjol control methods from the Likvidator company

    Our spіvrobіtniki mayut a great dosvіd roboti, the stench with ease vporayutsya zіschennyam bdzholin, wasp nests, rotting in chagarniks, hollows of trees, on hills, in the ground and on the balconies of private houses and apartments.


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