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06/26/15, 10:40 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Leavenworth, KS
Posts: 8
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Carpenter Bees
Alright. I have a carpenter bee issue. They aren't even in my deck or house, they are in this huge bush/tree on the side of my house. These turds hover at my back doors, about two feet from it. I am almost afraid to be on my porch, they are bold and get in my face. They may not sting, but it's very unnerving, they're huge and scary. I feel like I'm being held hostage in my house sometimes, and I have plants on my back deck that I tend to, smoke/grill a lot, and generally love to be sitting on my back porch. I know they have those traps with the bottles on the bottom, but I've seen more bad reviews than good. Heavy duty insect spray to the face doesn't seem to bother them, either. I have taken to whopping them with a Rubbermaid bin top and then squishing them with it when they go down.
That was quite a book. Does anyone have any other suggestions? I've never dealt with these things before, and it's quite daunting. We were going to cut the bushes/trees down on the side of the house, but DH says it shades the a/c unit, so we need them there. This house has issues with the a/c and it works overtime to keep the house cool as is. We just moved here, so it's a work in progress.
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06/26/15, 11:12 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1
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Carpenter bees
We just bought a carpenter bee "trap". You can google this. Its a little wooden house that sits on a mason jar. The house has predrilled holes for the bee to go in, and it traps them. Supposedly  . Only had it up 1 day.  I'll let yall know what happens!
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06/26/15, 10:15 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 264
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My husband made a bee trap recently. The first part of the summer, the jar filled up with bees. Now, it only catches a random one or two. Seems that if you have the bee traps up early, they'll do a good job, but later in the season it's less effective.
My cousin used to swat the bees with tennis rackets. Made for a nice, strong, fast swing to bring them down.
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06/27/15, 10:56 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 16,107
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Im doing that Jan. Rere, Where did you get your trap from?
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06/27/15, 12:30 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Eastern Panhandle WV
Posts: 1,894
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I have large black bumble bees with white dot on forehead drilling holes in my log home. Is that the same as a carpenter bee? I tried the bee house deal it did nothing.
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06/27/15, 12:37 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Eastern North Carolina
Posts: 33,432
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Forcast
I have large black bumble bees with white dot on forehead drilling holes in my log home. Is that the same as a carpenter bee? I tried the bee house deal it did nothing.
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Yes those are Carpenter Bees
Mix Borax or Boric Acid with water and spray the wood to kill and repel them, and drive in pegs to plug any holes
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06/27/15, 12:43 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Eastern Panhandle WV
Posts: 1,894
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anyway to deal with them without killing them knowing we need pollinators?
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06/27/15, 12:47 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Eastern North Carolina
Posts: 33,432
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Forcast
anyway to deal with them without killing them knowing we need pollinators?
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Nope
You have to either kill them or live with them
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06/27/15, 02:10 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: W Mo
Posts: 9,185
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The way I look at it, getting rid of the carpenter bees leaves more pollen for species that are better pollinators and non destructive. I don't think they are very good pollinators. The males hover around being a nuisance here just like you described, they don't seem to visit the flowers that are right there.
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It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with the simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.
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06/27/15, 05:36 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 2
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I have used a badminton racket for quite a few years now. They were also boring in the siding of my house. Swatting them down with the racket and then stomping on them ,over the years, has diminished their numbers around the house. It's somewhat entertaining also.
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06/27/15, 06:06 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: TN
Posts: 219
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As already mentioned about the traps. I have 2 one in the front and in the back. They work great! Going to make some more for my kill floor area. Yes they drive ya nuts. They do not pollinate. The bumble bee looks kinda like the carpenter bee. The traps are great.
Also I have a lot of Japanese beetles this year. Here is how I got rid of them they we're on everything. Just mix flea and tick shampoo in a spray bottle and spray whatever you need to next day gone dead. love it.
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06/28/15, 03:16 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 16,107
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WHERE IN THE HECK can I get the traps??
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06/29/15, 02:48 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 207
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I had them all over my barn. Just spray Sevin all over the wood, especially in the holes they bore. It took my two applications but it took care of them.
After that, paint the wood (may not be the best idea for a live tree) and fill the holes with something to keep them from coming back.
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07/01/15, 09:36 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Western MA
Posts: 178
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We had them in our porch. Finally dispatched them. Maybe. Did a bunch of research.
They are great pollinators, but I don't want them eating into the house. I used Drione and they seem to be gone.
They are solitary bees, i.e. not hive bees and rarely sting. The aggressive annoying ones are the males. They have yellow markings on their face, but have no ovipositor, so they can't sting. I used to whack them with a swatter and that was fun and in the end I turned to the pesticides.
They look like the bumblebees, but their abdomen is shiny, not furry like the bumblebees. If they are getting into the house, kill them. If not, wait it out.
Fear not.
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07/01/15, 01:41 PM
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de oppresso liber
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 13,900
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Two things.
One you can build the traps. The info is online.
Two, watch out it can be dangerous when they fly over and their hammer falls out of their tool belt. 
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the police are just MINUTES away!
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07/02/15, 08:33 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 264
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07/02/15, 05:01 PM
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Moderator
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Mountains of Vermont, Zone 3
Posts: 8,836
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I have two colonies of mason bees and one of carpenter bees just outside my bedroom window over my garden. They're very cool to watch. Bees are good. They have no desire to attack people and aren't even particularly aggressive about defending their nests.
Do not confuse them with yellow jackets who are highly aggressive about defending their nests. Yellow jackets are good too, they eat insect pests that eat our garden plants, but having them right around human paths can be a problem due to their more aggressive nature.
-Walter
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