What Are Carpenter Bees?
Carpenter bees, sometimes known as wood bees or wood bore bees, are a type of bee that can cause damage to a home by boring into wood. They are similar in shape and size to bumble bees, but carpenter bees have a glossy abdomen rather than one covered with fuzz. Like bumblebees, carpenter bees are pollinators, playing a key role in helping plants create fruit.
Carpenter bees don’t live in large colonies. Often there is only a single female and several larvae in a nest. Female carpenter bees bore into wood to create their nest. They prefer softwoods such as pine, cedar and redwood. A carpenter bee hole is about a half inch in diameter and leads to a tunnel with several individual cells for housing young.
A male may patrol around the nest, aggressively flying at anything it sees as threat. As intimidating as they may seem, male carpenter bees cannot sting. While you’ll rarely see females, they’ll sting if provoked. Use caution when working near a nest. Wear leather gloves, eye protection and work in the morning or evening when bees tend to be less active.
Identifying Carpenter Bee Damage
The damage these bees can cause is the main reason you might need to know how to get rid of wood bees. If you spot a small, round hole in wood eaves, a deck, porch columns, a pergola, wood outdoor furniture, etc. and you see sawdust or yellow residue around the hole, you’ve got good indications of the presence of carpenter bees. You’ll may notice the male bee flying around the area.
What damage can carpenter bees cause?
- In addition to the cosmetic damage of the holes, the tunnels the bees create can cause structural damage to the wood.
- The tunnels can allow moisture to enter the wood, creating the potential for additional damage.
- Woodpeckers may further damage the wood as they attempt to feed on the larvae.
- When female carpenter bees lay eggs each spring, they’ll often enlarge existing nests, causing more extensive damage.
Getting Rid of Carpenter Bees
How do you get rid of carpenter bees? There are lethal and non-lethal options for controlling these insects. Lethal methods may be mechanical or may require the use of chemicals. An example of mechanical control would be trapping carpenter bees. Spray, foam and granule pesticides are chemical methods of killing carpenter bees.
Non-lethal methods of getting rid of carpenter bees make the area undesirable to the bees so they find another location to nest.
Trapping Carpenter Bees
Carpenter bee traps include a wooden box with one or more holes drilled into the wood and a transparent or translucent collection area. The bees enter the hole and are attracted to the light from the collection area. Once in the collection area, they can’t get out. This type of trap typically only works for carpenter bees. Other types of traps use colors to attract bees and other flying insects, trapping them on a sticky surface.
Killing Carpenter Bees With Pesticides
There are pesticides that kill carpenter bees, but always pay attention to the list of insects a pesticide kills before using it. Those that kill carpenter bees likely kill other insects as well, including honey bees, bumblebees and other types of bees. If you use a pesticide, look for products you can apply directly into the carpenter bee hole to reduce the risk of unintentionally killing beneficial insects. Foam treatments and pesticides with application tubes can make it easier to get the pesticide deep into the nest.
If you want to try an option that doesn’t use synthetic chemicals, you can spray a 3 to 1 mixture of boric acid and water into the nest to kill the carpenter bees. Treatment of the nest with diatomaceous earth can also be effective at killing these wood bees.
Chemical treatment is often most effective in the early spring and may require additional applications in the summer and fall.
Follow the manufacturer’s directions for any pest control product, including instructions for safety gear and how long to keep people and pets clear of the treated area. Even with non-synthetic treatments, you’ll often need eye protection and protective gloves. Wearing long sleeves and long pants is a good idea when applying pest control treatments. In some cases, such as when applying insecticidal dust or diatomaceous earth, you’ll need a respirator.
There are many insects like pollinators that’re helpful to have around. Take a look at our guide to beneficial insects to learn about some bugs that make useful additions your lawn or garden.
Non-Lethal Ways to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees
If you simply want to encourage carpenter bees or wood bees to leave a particular area, there are a couple of non-lethal methods you can try. Since the bees serve a valuable role in pollinating flowers, these may be good options to consider before using lethal control methods.
- A carpenter bee treatment made from citrus oil and water can encourage a bee to vacate a nest. You can create a similar solution by boiling rinds of lemons, oranges or other citrus fruit in water for a few hours. Be sure to let it cool before use.
- Continuous loud noises, including loud music, near the nest can help rid an area of carpenter bees. However, this method will take some time and may be unpleasant to neighbors, so talk with them before you try it.
Keeping Carpenter Bees Away
Preventing the bees from establishing a nest may be the best solution for controlling them; you can often prevent damage entirely and avoid having to worry about carpenter bee extermination. Here are some ideas:
- Paint wood surfaces and repaint them regularly. Carpenter bees prefer unpainted wood. Exterior stain can also deter the bees, but it’s usually less effective than painting.
- Build with pressure-treated lumber. While not completely resistant to carpenter bees, pressure-treated lumber can discourage them.
- Use hardwoods such as cherry, hickory and oak when practical for outdoor projects. These are less desirable to carpenter bees than softwoods like pine, cedar and redwood.
- Repair any cracks, grooves or dimples in wood surfaces with exterior-rated wood filler.
- Plug existing holes with exterior wood filler or with a piece of dowel and exterior-rated wood glue. This can keep bees from reusing and expanding nests. Fall is a good time to plug the holes.
- Apply almond oil or peppermint oil around a nest entry hole in the spring to encourage female bees to find another location to nest.
- Spray the area around an existing nest with a mixture of citrus oil and water as described above. Again, this is a good measure to try in the spring when females are looking for nests.
- Place pieces of softwood in your yard away from wood structures. This scrap wood gives the bees a place to nest where they won’t damage your home.
Interested in controlling pests without synthetic chemicals? Take a look at our guide to integrated pest management for some ideas and options.
Frequently Asked Carpenter Bees Questions
Answers to these common questions can help you identify the bees and protect your property.
What Is the Difference Between Carpenter Bees and Bumblebees?
A carpenter bee has a shiny, black abdomen. A bumblebee’s abdomen is covered with yellow and black fuzz. Carpenter bees don’t live in colonies as bumblebees do and they build nests in wood rather than below ground. Bumblebees don’t cause damage to wood.
What Kills Carpenter Bees Instantly?
Pesticides that include pyrethroids such as lambda-cyhalothrin or zeta cypermethrin begin killing carpenter bees within minutes, disrupting their nervous systems and typically causing death within several hours or over the course of a few days. These pesticides can also provide ongoing carpenter bee control for several weeks.
How Do You Protect Wood From Carpenter Bees?
Paint protects wood from carpenter bees. While there’s no guarantee that paint will completely prevent the bees from creating a nest in a piece of wood, a good coat of paint that you maintain regularly will make the wood much less desirable to the bees and encourage them to find a more attractive location.