Carpenter Bees

[Boonjob]

kill bugs for $$$.

O Reallllyy? What you know about wood boring bees, and what can be done?

I get them every summer.... they bore into my awning outside(the 2x6 supports) and though the wood isn't thick enough to "burrow" in they still bore, and they just keep going back and forth making more and more holes..... Also I find them dead all over the place in the summer, not sure if this is natural, as I really feel it's because they are boring into treated lumber and it isn't agreeing with them lol...

They aren't destroying anything but the awning, as I have aluminum siding, and my garage has cedar plank. but it is annoying because they make a huge mess with there "droppings" or whatever you want to call it... especially when it is all over my patio. When I first moved in I had my motrocyle parked under there for awhile and it go covered... took me forever to scrub that junk off.

[Twizted1]

Boonjob, those are carpenter bees. The bore into the wood to lay eggs. You really only have 2 options. You can prime & paint the boards with good oil based paint, or have it sprayed this spring about May. I have seen carports slit in half due to these things boring. If I can help just let me know.

[Boonjob]

Thanks, I will try to get it primed and painted... if that doesn't work I will certainly give you a ring... they are annoying... I literally get 100's of them dead all over the place in the spring to summer under my back porch overhang... and they are drilling perfect holes in my supports, but i don't think it's deep enough to lay eggs in...

do they lay eggs and then die or something? just seems like they are everywhere dead thorughout the spring... and they aren't small most are about the diameter of a dime or so.

[Viggen]

been getting them for 40yrs now in my barn.... I have always thought they are cool bees

Yea they do drill holes... a few years ago they drilled holes in the bottom of a ponderosa table... remember those from the 70's?

They never sting anyone so we just.... well let them bee

[Boonjob]

lol yeah, They have never stung anyone at my house, but they do make a huge mess... They make like a yellow "dropping" or something that is all over my patio and everything sitting on it during the summer and it takes forever to clean up.. I have a wood picnic table on my patio, they never touch it, but it may be because I poly ura'd it They don't really bother me aside from the mess of their bodies and waste everywhere....

[Viggen]

you want a mess.... let me bring some of those Canadian Geese over.... ugh..... those are a total PITA

Yea they do leave wood dust everywere..... my stupud dog thinks they are food

[Twizted1]

When they drill in they turn left or right and keep drilling. The yellow droppings is the wood mixed with saliva. They have the ability to sting, but rarely do. The problem with them it, with time they can cause structural damage. Not sure why you are seeing dead ones. Maybee the babies are dieing off after they hatch. Maybe the young are being killed off by the males? The males are the ones that you see the most. They hang around those holes waiting for the female to be "ready".

[Boonjob]

Do they ingest the wood? my only thoughts would be they are eating treated lumber and it is killing them over a period of time... these bee aren't turning one way or another lol they are literraly drilling in and going through the other side... when they come out hte other side they must go hmmmm... well that didn't work lets try again, and they just keep doing that over and over rofl...


And yes viggen my dog thinks they are food aswell... but she also thinks everything is edible. lol

[Sunny]

Bill chases them with a 2x4.  We have tons of them.  He called an exterminator, when he seen the pond, he said he couldn't do it.  I guess the stuff they use, the bee's can carry it over the pond.   I'm going to paint the part they are drilling into.  It's a wood structure with that plastic wavy roof on top over our deck.  But, until I paint, he will still chase them with his 2x4.

[Boonjob]

lol chases em with a board? that's kinda a funny picture... I leave em alone for the most part as they don't bother anything but the wood...I'm deff going to paint it up nice and thick this year.. hopefully it takes care of them. they do make a mess.

[Sunny]

It is funny to watch him chase them. He use to run around and spray bee spray everywhere, I had to hide the can from him, he was getting kind of dangerous with it.   For some reason, the wasps and bees always go after him.   They use to be in the garage and all that mess went into my pond, he finally put a sulfate (sp) on it, so they don't make a mess in the pond anymore.  They don't bother me, but he says if you don't kill them, my roof over the deck will come crumbling down.

[HUNGER]

They are fun to play basball with just get a clear 2 liter and swing away they can see it comeing

[Sunny]

They are fun to play basball with just get a clear 2 liter and swing away they can see it comeing

That would hurt less than a 2x4 if he misses the bee and hits me .... lol

[HUNGER]

Ya me and slandis use to do that by his shed u hit them good they will fly far

[Boonjob]

Rofl.... but the irony of killing one with a 2x4 is supreme... plus the picture of a man running around your yard swining a 2x4 is hysterical.... can only imagine what the neighbors think lol....


*Neighbor: Hey Bob, Come here... It looks like Bill is out at it again...
*Neighbor#2(bob): Very strange... what could he possibly be doing running around with that 2x4 waving it in the air like that...he looks so determined too.
*Neighbor#1: Yeah, ....(long pause)....*sigh*Poor guy, hopefully there is help for him....


lol

[Sunny]

ROFLMAO .....   And he does get really determined, his focus is on the bee, and it really sucks when he does hit one and it goes flying by your face or lands in your cocktail.  I must search for a 12 step program for obsessive bee killing.  Our neighbors have a balcony that overlooks our backyard, I'm sure they are entertained.

[Boonjob]

ROFL I would be entertained... I could easily see my self sitting up there with a cooler of beer watching him go to town... doesn't take much to amuse me... especially if beer is involved.

[Todd W.]

 


or VIDEOs

[Boonjob]

HAHAHA VIDEOS!

[Sunny]

I'll have to get the camcorder out this spring. 

[Twizted1]

They do not digest the wood. Just chew it up & spit it out. Not sure why the guy said he cant kill them. But why would you pay a p.c. company to kill them? Sound like you can make some $$$$$ with video of all this. Is americas funniest videos still one the air? Or you may get on one of those showes on spike tv. When I was a kid we used a tennis racquet.

[Sunny]

From what I understood, it's a powder they put in the holes. The bees walk thru it and take it back to the queen and it kills all of them.  He said if the powder drops off their feet in flight over my pond, it will kill the fish.   It was funnier when he went between the garage and fence (about a 3 foot space) with the weedwacker and got stung a few times by wasps.  I could just see him using that weedwacker as a weapon .... lol  The bees & wasps really don't like him.  I think he provoked them first. 

[Twizted1]

Carpenter bees don't have nests. Any way, if you ever want to kill them off just let me know. And yea the weed wacker really gets them going. And he need a stick to poke at the nests lol JK.   

[Boonjob]

If your still interested Twisted, let me know what you'd want to help with this problem... Getting ready to Start working on the back yard and they are everywhere again...which I guess is expected as I recently learned they return to their point of birth...

I plan on painting the exposed wood(not sure if it will really healp at this point though) but read that dessicant powders can be injected into the holes to prevent young. I don't have the gumption to do it myself rofl.

[Twizted1]

I can come down this weekend & have a look see. I would like to look @ your bowfront anyways maybe we can work out something???  How is sat late afternoon?