Did you spot some large bees buzzing around your deck, porch, or eaves lately? There’s a chance they’re carpenter bees.
Carpenter bees look similar to honeybees but don’t form colonies or hives. These large solitary bees bore tunnels into wood where they lay their eggs and raise their young. Carpenter bees don’t eat wood like termites, but their burrowing tunnels can lead to significant structural damage over time.
In this complete guide, we cover everything you need to know about carpenter bees and how to effectively control these pests. You’ll learn how to identify them, how to prevent and get rid of carpenter bees, and when to seek professional pest control.
What Are Carpenter Bees?
The carpenter bees genus Xylocopa comprises large, solitary bees often confused with bumblebees. The two look nearly identical but have distinct differences.
The key way to tell a carpenter bee and a bumblebee apart is by their abdomen. Carpenter bees are shiny and hairless black on the underside of their abdomen. In contrast, bumblebees have hairy abdomens with yellow stripes.
Carpenter bees get their name because they carve perfectly round, smooth holes into wood for nesting. They typically bore into soft, untreated, or weathered wood. Although they remove wood chips, they don’t eat the wood. They tunnel into wood to store food and provision chambers for their eggs.
Carpenter bees are active from late spring through fall, but may also be active in winter in warmer climates.
Why Are Carpenter Bees a Problem?
On the one hand, carpenter bees are important pollinators and not harmful or aggressive toward people. On the other hand, they can become a big problem if they use the wood on your house or deck for nesting.
Here’s why carpenter bee infestations should be treated seriously:
- Wood damage: Tunnels weaken the wood and cause expensive structural damage.
- Woodpecker damage: Woodpeckers feed on the larvae and attack wood to get to the bees.
- Repeat infestations: Carpenter bees often reuse the same sites for years.
- Cosmetic problems: Holes and stains from the bees are unsightly.
For these reasons, it’s important to get carpenter bee pest control early.
How to Identify Carpenter Bees
Identifying carpenter bees and the signs of their presence early makes it easier to take quick action to stop damage from becoming severe. Here are the clues that carpenter bees are active on your property:
- Perfectly round, half-inch diameter holes in wood.
- Wood shavings below holes from tunneling activity.
- Buzzing bees flying around wooden eaves, decks, fences.
- Yellowish-brown stains from excrement near holes.
Act quickly to control carpenter bees once you see these signs.
Life Cycle and Behavior
Understanding the carpenter bee life cycle and behavior will help you develop better pest control tactics. Here’s how their life cycle works:
- Emergence: In spring, the bees emerge from hibernation to mate and find nesting areas.
- Nesting: The females excavate nests in wood and lay eggs, provisioning each chamber.
- Development: Eggs hatch and develop through larvae and pupa stages to become adults.
- Activity: In late summer, the new adults emerge, feed, and overwinter before mating the following spring.
Because the bees often reuse old nests, controlling them early is essential to prevent recurring issues.
Step by Step Pest Control Strategy
1. Inspection and Monitoring
Inspect your property closely for carpenter bee activity and nests in early spring as they become active. Look at all exposed wood surfaces on decks, siding, fences, and outdoor furniture made from untreated or softwood.
2. Sealing and Repairing Wood
Seal exposed wood surfaces with paint, varnish, or wood sealant. Carpenter bees prefer unfinished wood surfaces so making them less attractive helps. Repair or replace damaged boards to remove nesting areas.
3. Insecticidal Dust Application
Professional pest control experts will apply insecticidal dust inside carpenter bee tunnels. The dust kills the bees and larvae when they contact it. Timing is critical and the dust should only be applied at night when the bees are in their tunnels.
4. Plug Holes and Tunnels
After the bees have been killed, fill the holes with wood putty, caulk, or dowels. This prevents carpenter bees from reusing the old tunnels next season. Always confirm the bees are dead before plugging holes, or they may just tunnel somewhere else.
5. Traps
Carpenter bee traps can lure and trap the bees inside so they can’t escape. While traps will only impact part of the population, they can be a useful additional control tool. Traps alone are unlikely to solve the problem.
6. Natural and DIY Repellents
- Use essential oils: Spraying citrus, almond, and tea tree oils on wood surfaces will deter carpenter bees.
- Noise and vibrations: Bees dislike vibrations, so wind chimes or ultrasonic sound emitters may help repel them.
- Paint and stains: Painting or staining wood surfaces with dark colors will make them less attractive for carpenter bees.
7. Professional Pest Control
If the carpenter bees don’t go away or keep coming back, professional pest control is your best solution. Professionals have the expertise, tools, and insecticides to eliminate the bees. Experts can also make longer lasting changes to prevent carpenter bees in the future.
Long-Term Prevention Tips
Unless you take proactive steps, carpenter bees are likely to return to your property year after year. Apply the following carpenter bee prevention best practices:
- Paint or seal all exposed wood surfaces around your property.
- Choose hardwoods or pressure-treated lumber for decks and structures.
- Install vinyl or aluminum siding instead of wood.
- Keep outdoor furniture covered or stored when not in use.
- Inspect and repair any vulnerable areas in early spring.
These prevention tips will help keep carpenter bees from damaging your home.
Carpenter Bees vs. Other Wood-Damaging Insects
Carpenter bees are often mistaken for other wood-damaging pests like termites or carpenter ants. While all three can damage wood, they do so in different ways:
- Carpenter bees: Drill holes, leave smooth sawdust piles.
- Termites: Eat from the inside out, often leaving hollow wood.
- Carpenter ants: Excavate wood for nests but don’t eat it.
Accurately identifying the pest is critical to using the right control solution.
Professional Pest Control Is Worth It
While DIY methods can work on a small scale, carpenter bee infestations often require professional pest control treatment. Specialists have the training, tools, and products to remove carpenter bees safely and effectively.
Professional carpenter bee pest control will also ensure that the source of the problem is treated to stop further structural damage and avoid costly repairs.
Summary and Takeaways
- Carpenter bees are solitary bees that tunnel into wood and can cause damage.
- Carpenter bees don’t form colonies but nest in wood like termites.
- These bees are beneficial pollinators but problematic when nesting in homes.
- Signs of carpenter bees include round holes, shavings, buzzing, and stains.
- Sealing wood, dust, plugging holes, traps, and repairs are control methods.
- Painting, sealing, and using durable materials prevents future problems.
- Professional pest control is best for carpenter bee problems.
Conclusion and Call to Action
At first glance, carpenter bees may not seem like a big deal. However, their tunneling can slowly but surely damage your home’s wooden surfaces. Understanding their behavior and effective control tactics can help you keep your property safe and damage-free.
If you have a carpenter bee problem, don’t wait for it to spread and get worse. Call Steel City Pest today for fast, affordable carpenter bee pest control. Our experienced team specializes in carpenter bee control, and we have the know-how and tools to protect your property and give you peace of mind.
