Because carpenter bees dislike treated wood the best way to prevent them is to make sure you stain or varnish any exterior wood. They look like bumble bees but the top of the abdomen is bare and shiny.
You can prevent carpenter bees from nesting in the first place by painting or varnishing your homes exterior.
Treat wood for carpenter bees. Carpenter bees prefer to excavate untreated unfinished wood. Use a carpenter bee spray to kill active wood boring bees combined with an insecticide dust application in the holes. So if you wish to deter them go with a hardwood if possible.
If you are replacing these boards new wood will just have the same problems and the carpenter bee problem will return. If you find any wood pressure treated or not being drilled by carpenter bees youll need to treat it as described in our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL article. Peppermint is one of the smells bees hate.
Try other essential oils to test their effectiveness as well. Your best defense is a good offense. Wintering over in abandoned nest tunnels adult carpenter bees emerge in.
Fill the holes the openings of the carpenter bees nests using wood putty or wood dowels After this either varnish or paint the entire wood surface. Carpenter bees are about 12 to 1 inch long and robust. If an infestation has occurred you will need to use an insecticide to eliminate the carpenter bees.
Hickory walnut cherry and oak are all good choices. If you are having a problem with carpenter bees it is best to get rid of them as soon as possible. Precaution- pesticides are poisonous and thus need to be handled carefully.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above. If you are keen to keep the wood around your home in a natural state you should at the very least apply a quality clear sealant to the wood. Carpenter bees do not ingest or feed on wood itself but females bore into timbers to create nest sites.
One way to keep carpenter bees from drilling into wood is by spraying pesticides that contain either cypermethrin deltamethrin or bifenthrin Ortho Home Defense Max onto wood surfaces. In fact Ive been amazed at the wide range of wood carpenter bees will utilize. Carpenter bees usually infest softwood as it is easier to drill holes in them.
It is also perfect to get rid of wood ants roaches and a variety of other insects. Plug existing holes to prevent a future worker bee infestation. Place a boom box outside your home facing where the carpenter bees usually congregate and play some loud rock or heavy metal.
Bumble bees have a hairy abdomen. When it comes to carpenter bees these products act more as repellants than contact poisons. Tips for preventing damage on your fascia boards are as follows.
The holes they bore compromise woods structural integrity cause stains and attract woodpeckers. Spritz a peppermint oil spray on or near areas that carpenter bees tend to frequent. To prevent carpenter bee infestation of your new fascia boards wrap all of the three sides in vinyl or aluminum siding.
The resulting holes are almost a perfect circle about a 12 inch across. Carpenter bees bore into wood particularly porch garage and shed ceilings and trim railings decks etc. By replacing the softwood with hardwood such as mahogany maple oak and teak you can reduce the risk of an infestation considerably.
Carpenter bees do not really eat wood but they chew out holes and makes nests inside where eggs hatch and create more carpenter bees increasing the destruction. Cedar douglas fir pine redwood spruce and yew are all examples of softwood that is usually used for construction. This method supposedly works although it is pretty drastic.
No doubt they seem to prefer anything soft with pine being a favorite. By keeping a smooth surface you help to deter some carpenter bees because they know they will have to work harder to bore into the wood. Get rid of carpenter bees yourself in just two steps.
Dust any holes you find with DRIONE and then spray with either CYPERMETHRIN or NBS INSECT REPELLENT to stop new holes from being created.
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