Carpenter Bees/Borer Bees

wsuffa

wsuffa

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
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Bill S.
Anyone got a good way to get rid of 'em? They seem to have become enamored with the pressure treated 2x4s on my deck steps. Wasp spray offs them when I see them, but doesn't stop the ones that are up in the wood.

Need good suggestions as to how to effectively convince them that the firewood pile is much tastier than the deck lumber.
 
wsuffa said:
Anyone got a good way to get rid of 'em? They seem to have become enamored with the pressure treated 2x4s on my deck steps. Wasp spray offs them when I see them, but doesn't stop the ones that are up in the wood.

Need good suggestions as to how to effectively convince them that the firewood pile is much tastier than the deck lumber.
Click to expand...

They won't eat through paint / varnish.
 
I'd call a good exterminater.
 
rmciottijr said:
They will eat through paint
Click to expand...

Absolutely!!

A good shot of CRC carb cleaner into the hole will usually stop them from coming back. If you don't mind using the chemical equivalent of the nuclear option, a light coating of pentachlorophenol will stop any-known-to-man insect. Stops mold as well.

Gary
 
One word. Chloridane.
 
Gary said:
Absolutely!!

A good shot of CRC carb cleaner into the hole will usually stop them from coming back. If you don't mind using the chemical equivalent of the nuclear option, a light coating of pentachlorophenol will stop any-known-to-man insect. Stops mold as well.

Gary
Click to expand...
If pentachlorophenol could be bought...I think sales were discontinued to the general public back in the 80's?
 
I use a badminton racket - gives a musical sort of twang if ya catch 'em right, and they'll go near 50 feet with very little effort.

I'd think a 16 penny nail up in the hole would take care of 'em, depending of course on how deep the hole is. :)
 
wsuffa said:
Anyone got a good way to get rid of 'em?
Click to expand...

I had them in my garage eaves, and called an exterminator.

I paid $150 to have a guy come out, chat my ear off, and spray some raid-equivalent in the holes. He told me to fill the holes up with caulk after a couple of days.

It worked. (And now I know how to do it myself.)

Chris
 
A piece of wire inserted into the hole until you hear/feel a squish. Then plug the hole with a dowel or caulk.
 
We've got thte same problem around the barn. Didn't want to use conventional spray insecticides because of proximity to horses and hay. Ended up filling a plastic chalk line dust squeeze bottle with boric acid and dusted the holes with the powder in the PM when the little, er, bugs were home. Lots of little bee carcasses the next morning. A friend mixes boric acid with milk to make a paste and "spackles" the holes for a longer lasting kill. Works really well. 16 oz of Boric Acid was $11 at CVS pharmacy.

Raquetball racket works pretty well too.
 
I had one dig into a 2x4 rail support on my deck last year. The perfectly circular holes they make were impressive. Nonetheless, it had to go.

I sprayed RAID wasp/bee killer into the hole, and filled the hole using wood putty... Fortunately, they didn't make any new holes.


wsuffa said:
Anyone got a good way to get rid of 'em? They seem to have become enamored with the pressure treated 2x4s on my deck steps. Wasp spray offs them when I see them, but doesn't stop the ones that are up in the wood.

Need good suggestions as to how to effectively convince them that the firewood pile is much tastier than the deck lumber.
Click to expand...
 
I just killed 6 of the little devils with Windex :eek:. When they flew in their hole in my doghouse, I filled it with the Windex. They crawled out and fell on the ground and I stomped them :D.
 
Be careful about plugging up the hole with the bees still in there. They will find a way out. If they can't make it to the outside, they will bore into the house, then you will have to deal with them in the house.
 
one day there was a nice street of thermals forming off the charred ground out in the hills east of the airport. I appreciated that.
 
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