Q&A for How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees

Apply insecticidal dust in any holes you can reach or see. Hanging bee traps nearby may work to eliminate many of the bees. If you can't actually reach the nest or the holes, you may need to contact an exterminator.

No, not all bored holes are nests. To tell if they are inhabited, look for which one the carpenter bees fly in and out of.

You should be able to see them flying in and out. In my experience, they prefer holes which open downward towards the ground, so they may be tough to spot without crouching down to look. Sometimes you can even see the little bits of sawdust falling out of the hole as they munch away inside.

Your porch is their nest. Look underneath the porch and you will see their bore holes.

Carpenter bees prefer weathered softwood. Place untreated, unpainted softwood boards in areas where you have problems. They will drill their holes into these boards instead and lay their eggs in these "nests.' After they have become inactive in your area (around Nov or Dec), take the boards into a forested area and leave them there. When they emerge around mid-March, they will be far from you. They tend to come back to where they were born to create their own nests and lay their eggs. Therefore, they will return to the woods and not to your deck or porch. You have exported your problem without introducing toxic chemicals into your own neighborhood.

I don't think those are carpenter bees. You may want to get an exterminator out to look at them.

We have had success with an old Amish method. Hang small shallow buckets filled with water and a squirt of dish soap near carpenter bee holes. They fly in to get some water, but their wings get covered with soap, and they cannot fly out.

Yes, Diatomaceous Earth is a natural pesticide and will kill the carpenter bees and their larvae.

Definitely call an exterminator. If they're in the walls, you have no idea how many there might be.

I tried this. It filled the holes and came out everywhere, but once it was dry, the bees were right back at it.

Bumblebees don't dig through wood, whereas carpenter bees do. Also, sometimes carpenter bees have green marks on them.

They don't care if the surface is painted or not. You can paint one day and come back the next morning and have a fresh hole bored. You can seal up the hole with caulking and they chew back through the caulk. Use the methods suggested in the article and don't rely on the folk tales without actual proof!

There is some evidence to suggest that marigold, eucalyptus, and ferns are effective at warding off bees.

They are inactive during winter months, but they will come back out and continue the cycle of life/infestation until they are moved or killed. They lay larvae in wood.

Yes. I have a nest within pressure-treated rail road ties I used as a retaining wall.

Yes they are, they're very important for helping crops grow. For this reason, you should strive to use non-lethal means of removing carpenter bee infestations wherever possible.

Yes, I have seen carpenter bees go under my vinyl flashing.

Yes, they do. Soft and rotting wood is most susceptible. Cedar, however, is known for its ability to repel insects.

They go in their holes (nests). When it rains, at night, during the winter and any time the temperature is cool, they retreat into their holes. If you are going to treat the holes and want to try to find all the holes you can, start watching the bees when it gets close to dusk. Watch where they go. The nest may possibly be hidden out of sight behind a gutter, crack, etc. Each hole only has from two to a dozen bees. Carpenter bees are not "social" and don't all live together in one big nest.

I mixed diesel with used motor oil and painted my already treated wood and it did not even slow them down.

Most of these options would further damage your tree. At this point, your best bet will probably be to call a professional.

No, they don't sting. The males pretend to attack. The females can but seldom do. They are good pollinators, so unless they are damaging a building, they are good to have around. If they are boring into a structure that you don't want damaged, the easiest way is to use a spray-foam insecticide.

Not necessarily. If you don't see very many carpenter bees, or if you only see one nest, store-bought pesticide solutions should work. If you have several nests you may want to call an exterminator.

Yes. Boric acid is found in many things we eat. The type you buy is more concentrated. For instance we use boric acid in water when a baby is born to clean his/her eyes. Beekeepers use boric acid in the hive to control hive beetles. Boric acid is a natural product and good for the environment.

You should cut up the rinds, put them in a pot, cover the rinds with water, and then bring the mixture to a boil.

They usually don't burrow into dirt, but if they do just treat them like wasps,

I tried this method on the ceiling of my carport (redwood), but it did not work for me.

While that would eliminate the problem, carpenter bees tend to return to where they were born and use old burrows. The good thing is that they are really easy to spot so if they do return, you'll see them easily and can treat the area again. What would work best is if you treat/seal/stain the underside of all wooden replacement boards before building your deck. Putting on a long lasting sealant will keep them away for as long as the sealant works.

Yes, and I have even plugged with steel wool and the next morning the steel wool is laying all over the patio. I bought some small wooden plugs and will try them next.

That doesn't sound like carpenter bees to me - maybe bumble bees or wasps. Use caution and call an exterminator.