How to kill a carpenter bee
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
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.
Carpenter bees - what are dangerous and how to get rid of them? Photo — Botanichka
Once at an old dacha we noticed some interesting "neighbors". These were unusual dark-colored insects, similar either to large flies, or to bees, or to bumblebees.
And they lived directly inside the canvas of the front door to the house. The door was old, it had several holes of incomprehensible origin, from which these insects periodically flew out and flew in. They've obviously set up accommodation there! I don’t know what damage was done to the country door, which already required replacement, but, as we later found out, such tenants can cause significant damage to new buildings. What are these insects and how to deal with them, I will tell in this article.
Features of carpenter bees
Carpenter bees ( Xylocopa valga ) live on all continents except Antarctica. They have a body length of 12 to 25 mm. The color is black, greenish-black, dark blue with a metallic sheen or purple tint. The wings of these insects are black with a blue-violet sheen. Antennae black above, reddish below. There are yellow areas on the head near the eyes, and yellowish hairs are also present on the legs, chest and abdomen (but not as bright or numerous as in bumblebees).
Carpenter bees have a large, dense build and are sometimes confused with bumblebees. To unmistakably identify such a bee, look at the upper abdomen of the insect. While the abdomen of a bumblebee is densely covered with hairs, the upper abdomen of the carpenter bee will be hairless, black, and shiny.
These bees are solitary, they "dig" tunnels in wood to make their home, especially preferring the bare and weathered surface of the tree. They gnaw their passages with their jaws, and the length of the passages is from 30 cm to 1.5 m, the entrance diameter is from 0.7 mm to 1 cm. It is important to note that carpenter bees do not feed on wood throughout their entire life cycle, and sawdust thrown out by insects.
Each larva is in an individual cell located inside such a passage. Although these bees do not form a swarm, several females can live together in the same nest, with one female breeding while the others guard the brood. Bees often block the entrance to the nest with their own abdomen.
Males and females overwinter in nesting passages. When it gets warm enough in spring, the adults emerge from the nests and mate. The males die shortly after mating, and the females begin to dig new tunnels or expand old buildings. Carpenter bees, like honey bees, feed on pollen and nectar. Females provide their larvae with food by placing balls of pollen and bee bread in the cell in advance, after which the bee lays eggs in each chamber and soon dies.
The offspring of the eggs hatch after a few days, and the young larvae begin to feed on the food left for them by the mother. Within five to seven weeks (depending on the temperature conditions of the environment), the bee pupates and reaches an adult state. A new generation of carpenter bees emerge in late summer to feed on nectar before preparing for winter. The life span of a carpenter bee does not exceed one year.
These insects, like common bees, are good pollinators, but only for flowers with an open corolla.
But plants with deeper nectar are a problem for them, and insects treat them “barbarically”. To get to the sweet nectar, the carpenter bees cut the side of the flower, penetrate into the center, and deprive the flower of its juice without providing any pollination services in return, since they do not come into contact with the anthers.
In order to collect pollen grains for food for larvae, carpenter bees practice a very interesting technique called “buzz pollination”. It looks like this: when a bee lands on a flower, it uses its pectoral muscles to create vibrating sound waves that shake the pollen off the anthers.
Carpenter bee or wood borer bee (Xylocopa valga). © Vlad ProklovWhy are carpenter bees dangerous?
Carpenter bees can be a real nuisance for summer residents and owners of country houses. They often build nests close to humans: in front doors, decking, porches, cornices, stair railings, garden furniture, wooden fence posts, and other similar structures.
Every year they cause massive damage to the tree by tunneling in various designs.
Carpenter bees are certainly not termites or carpenter beetles, they do not feed on wood, and their nest tunnels are limited in size. However, after a few years, the damage to the wood can become quite significant as the bees widen old tunnels and "dig" new ones. If carpenter bees are allowed to tunnel through a wooden structure year after year, the cumulative damage can be significant.
In addition, they also spoil the appearance of wooden structures, leave stains with their feces. Since such bees are used to recovering at the entrance to their dwelling, yellow spots can be seen on the surface of the tree, just below the entrance to the nest.
These insects can also be aggressive, especially during the mating season, which occurs in April-May. At this time, male carpenter bees usually fly around the nest holes in search of females. During such a period, aggressive insects may well fly very close to people and animals, even deliberately crash into them and dive overhead.
It is the males who show the greatest aggressiveness, but they are not able to bite, since they do not have a stinger. But females can already sting, but only if they are seriously provoked. In particular, don't swing your arms too much, catch bees or press them hard, it's better to just ignore their buzzing and aggressive flights over your head.
Bee trapRead also our article How black wasps helped us in the fight against pest larvae.
How to get rid of carpenter bees?
The best defense against carpenter bees is, as in many cases, preventing them from attacking. These insects prefer to damage woods such as pine, fir, cypress, oak, and mahogany, especially if the wood is not barked, stained, or treated.
Sometimes bees also colonize painted wood, especially if the paintwork is old and peeling. Therefore, you can prevent carpenter bees from nesting in the first place by painting the exterior of the house or other woodwork, or by resurfacing an old coat of paint.
A fresh coat of paint or varnish is unattractive to the carpenter bee.
Close as many cracks in the wood as possible. Carpenter bees look for cracks that will make their entrances less visible to woodpeckers, so they prefer to populate such wood. Therefore, as soon as the installation of the structure is completed, be sure to seal all cracks and crevices.
If carpenter bees have already inhabited your wooden structures, it is better to try to simply expel insects without destroying them, since in Russia and Ukraine these insects are listed in the Red Book.
You can suspect that you have such unusual neighbors by the following signs:
- even rounded holes in the wood, under which there are yellow spots;
- the appearance of heaps of sawdust;
- "swarming" of such bees near your dwelling;
- insects crawl into their holes or fly out of them.
Read also our article Firefighter beetles - how useful for the garden and can they harm?
Bees really dislike vibration and loud noises near their home.
Therefore, in order for the bee to leave its nest, it is recommended to periodically turn on the perforator, or listen to loud music with low bass. It is believed that after some time (on average, after 2-3 days) the bees should leave their nest in search of a quieter place.
Another way is to watch the nest and close up all the entrances and exits to the burrows when the occupants leave them. As soon as you see that the bees have flown outside in the spring, seal the holes for the nests with putty. You can also putty the nest entrances in the fall, after the next generation of carpenter bees have hatched. Before puttying, it is recommended to spray inside a spray with citrus essential oil diluted with water, and also put a piece of a steel mesh sponge into the hole. Holes can also be covered with sealant or putty.
You can also make a bee trap that mimics a natural carpenter bee nest with angled entry holes. Inside, it has the shape of a funnel (for example, you can insert a cut off top from a plastic bottle).
A bee, climbing into a hole, falls into a wooden chamber, after which it falls into a funnel from a bottle, which leads it into a container of water (bottom of the cut bottle). You can also add soapy water to the water to make it harder for the insect to get out. Once the carpenter bees start filling the trap, their pheromones will begin to attract other carpenter bees.
Where is the best place to place such a trap? If your wooden structures are already infested with carpenter bees, place the traps where there is a particular activity of insects, and in particular, right above the existing holes. If carpenter bees have not yet chosen your property, but you are afraid of their appearance, set traps in the corners and tops of buildings, preferably on the sunniest side of your house.
With regard to inhumane methods, involving the destruction of insects, the use of insecticides, which are sprayed or covered in holes, is practiced. The bee, penetrating into the nest, touches the poison with its abdomen.
Also, boric acid and aerosol cleaner for carburetors, which are sprayed into the hole, will help against bees.
how to get rid of tree wasps
Home » Pests » Insects in the apartment and in the house
Insects in the apartment and in the house
Author Arina Lerner Reading 5 min. Posted by
Carpenter bees, commonly called tree bees, are not the nicest neighbors. They appear in the house in late spring and scare your household with aggressive behavior. Such bees can easily destroy a house or agricultural buildings. In addition to their aggressive nature, these insects have a genetic memory that makes them return to the places of the previous generations settlement again and again. That is why it is possible and necessary to get rid of these pests in the shortest possible time. To fight, you can use: baits, traps, sprays, putty, but the most effective way to fight is trapping.
Contents
- Why wood bees are dangerous and how to get rid of them forever. Preventive measures
- Active control measures
- Insect prevention
Insects are solitary, so the methods of trapping carpenters' bees with any traps are most effective. Before proceeding with the destruction of wasps, you need to know a few facts about them and why they are dangerous:
- Like all insects, tree wasps bite. Only female wasps bite, males do not have any organs for this. Females hide inside the nest and rarely go outside, so if there is a chance of being bitten, then it is minimal. If you are bitten by a female carpenter bee, then you need to urgently seek help from a specialist, as their venom is very toxic. Such bites are most dangerous for people prone to allergic reactions to bee venom.
- Carpenter wasps or tree bees are very dangerous to your farm buildings.
They are capable of destroying structures of any size by burrowing wide tunnels through them. Bees are able to completely destroy even a thick layer of wood in a few years. - Wood wasps are also very attractive to woodpeckers. The smell of their larvae attracts birds and they can detect them from several kilometers away, flocking to the habitat of the wasps. Trying to get the larvae, woodpeckers additionally destroy the structure of the tree, destroying the structure.
- Carpenter bees have a good reproductive function. One adult female carpenter is capable of reproducing up to 6 individuals of wasps during the warm period. Therefore, measures to destroy these pests should be taken as soon as possible.
Active control measures
In addition to the use of specialized traps to catch single carpenter bees, local remedies can be used to get rid of annoying insects:
- Specialized pesticides.
Wasps do not tolerate exposure to powdered pesticides, so their use is quite effective in destroying active wasp nests. You can use boric acid or carbaryl. - If, for any reason, pesticides are not available to you, then use a recipe that has been proven over the years. It is necessary to fill all the moves in the wasp hive with gasoline or diesel fuel. Such a tool will easily help get rid of bees and their larvae, but you should be careful when working with gasoline. When working with diesel fuel or gasoline, you need to use personal protective equipment, wear a respirator and protective gloves. It is best to use a sprayer that is capable of making an aerosol out of liquid.
- If you have an aerosol cleaner for cars with a carburetor on hand, this product is used to get rid of it in a gentle way. This product is sold in aerosol cans, with an extended tube for better access to remote places, which will help you pour liquid into all the moves of the carpenters' active hive.
You need to be very careful when working with this type of liquid, make sure that particles of the substance get on your face and eyes. - The carpenter is very sensitive to noise, so you can get rid of them with a loud sound. If you find a nest of bees in your garden, then take the audio system outside and turn up the music louder. The bees will not be able to calmly endure the vibration near their home and will leave the house as soon as possible.
- An effective method for carpenters to fight bees is a regular tennis racket, which will help knock down the bees and you can crush them.
Insect Prevention
If you have carpenter bees in your yard, getting rid of them once can't guarantee they won't reappear.
In order to prevent the bees from reappearing, it is necessary to use preventive measures for reappearance:
- After you have destroyed the bee nest, plug all holes with mineral wool, steel wool, or fill the hole with polyurethane foam.
All these means belong to a series of sealing, after which the bees will not be able to re-enter the dwellings, and those remaining in it will die. - Experienced gardeners know that carpenter bees do not attack wood exterior surfaces treated with paint products. Bees are more attracted to untreated wood. Therefore, try to paint all the raw areas of your wooden buildings with varnish or paint.
- The use of citrus spray as a prophylactic is an effective method of combating the reappearance of bees. Such citrus-based products can be purchased at specialized garden stores, or you can make your own. It is poured into the passages of carpenter bees, insects die, and the genetic code of the insect reflects information that it is unsafe to settle in this place.
In order to effectively stop the reproduction of new offspring of insects, it is necessary to kill the larvae that the insects have laid in the house.
Therefore, to eliminate them:
- Use insecticidal powders.
Learn more
