carpenter bees

tnborn · #1 05/14/05, 03:43 PM

Hello,
What is a good herbal mixture that kills carpenter bees?How do you kill carpenter bees?All advice is welcomed.
tnborn

Walt K. in SW PA · #2 05/14/05, 06:39 PM

I keep several badminton rackets on hand strategically placed around the homestead, and whack the little buggers whenever they happen to be buzzin' around. Got 8 today! Ones that are already excavating get a shot on the hind end of Raid wasp & hornet spray.

EasyDay · #3 05/14/05, 06:55 PM

I know it sounds mean, but when they go in their hole, I caulk the hole with them in it.

No meaner than raid, I guess.

antiquestuff · #4 05/14/05, 07:08 PM

Easyday--they can sometimes eat their way back out...

One solution is very soapy water--works on other bees so it should work on them...spray heavily, soaking the bees, and RUN, but don't worry too much, the soapy water if soapy enough will make them suffocate. Clogs their pores.

kentuckyhippie · #5 05/14/05, 07:27 PM

I have a piece of board about 4 inches wide and 3 feet long and I pretend they are a baseball and knock em right out of the ball park LOL

tnborn · #6 05/14/05, 07:40 PM

Hey,
Thanks everyone for the advice. they are a nuisance. we are buidling a house and they have already bored holes in the trusses and rafters. Unhappy camper I was.
tnborn

shootingstar · #7 05/14/05, 08:01 PM

I tried spraying them with a bug bomb and with oil based horse fly spray but neither worked. I asked the guy at the hardware store and he said he didn't know but his shed collasped because the rafters were so full of holes. That is what I am afraid is going to happen to my barn. I then talked to the feed store man and he said the only thing he knew was to use sevin. I haven't tried it yet but it is worth a try.

Boleyz · #8 05/14/05, 08:26 PM

I have a friend who has actually made a sport out of carpenter bees. He likes to sit in his barn and shoot them with rat shot from his .22 rifle as they fly by. He's actually a very good shot and rarely misses. He says it keeps him in practice for winter wingshooting.

jrw422 · #9 05/14/05, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyhippie

I have a piece of board about 4 inches wide and 3 feet long and I pretend they are a baseball and knock em right out of the ball park LOL

Oh man does that bring back memories!! I used to stand for hours doing that when I was a kiddo bout 8-10 yrs old. Can see in now like it was just yesterday, Mom hollering at me telling me I was going to get stung. Oh the memories.

galfriend · #10 05/14/05, 11:30 PM

Not an herbal choice, but I either heard or read about using WD 40. Spray this in the holes they drill and they won't return to it. I tried it in a few holes, but couldn't remember then which of the multitude they had already made to watch and see if that was doing any good or not?
They're a real pain in
Haven't seen them this year as bad as we had them last year though...

Good Luck and I'll be watching here for advise too!

Dances In Woods · #11 05/14/05, 11:41 PM

I didn't know carpenter bees could sting?

I've had them hover around me while i try to knock em down but they have never stung me.

I usually use a broom and swat them down to the ground hard then stomp on them. They are tough boogers. I have heard that they don't like fresh paint on wood so there's an idea.
Husband usually sprays with something called "Devil" something sorry can't remember the name. No carpenter bees will come near it.
They are getting active now....hubby needs to spray.

raymilosh · #12 05/16/05, 11:51 AM

OK, so whacking flying insects with a board is fun. Always will be..but...

History lesson:

European Honeybees have been the primary pollenators since the US was colonized by Europeans. Nearly 100% of wild colonies and well over half of the managed colonies have been killed in the last 15 years by a pest called varroa mites. There is an open niche for pollenators. There is unused pollen and nectar everywhere. As a result, other pollenators such as mason bees, orchard bees, carpenter bees and flutterbys have increased in numbers to fill the void. As things need to be pollenated...pollenators are good. Plants that need to be pollenated by pollenators in order to produce crops have been suffering for it, especially European crops like cucumbers, almonds and a whole list of others. Leave the bees alone. Your garden will thank you for it and reward you with more vegetables and flowers.

The bees are not gonna eat your house up, they're boring a single hole in which to live. There are websites that explain the favorite types of wood for these bees. If you hang up the right type of wood in the right place, they will choose to bore into it and live there rather than in your house.

A problem ceases to be a problem when you find out it's another resource to be cherished. Those bees are more use alive than dead.

BamaSuzy · #13 05/16/05, 02:53 PM

My husband always said that carpenter bees don't sting so I've ignored them as they bored holes in my bunny barn.....but he was stung badly by one of them last week....made an awful place on his leg and it WAS a carpenter bee....

Dave · #14 05/16/05, 05:59 PM

The male carpenter bee doesn't have a stinger. Only the female can sting you.