Carpenter bees, along with termites and carpenter ants, are well known for damaging wood. The first step after finding a “carpenter bee hole” is to confirm that it actually is from carpenter bees. Various insects create holes in wood, so you have to know the actual cause.
How Do You Deter Carpenter Bees?
If the holes are from carpenter bees, the problem needs to be addressed quickly before they do too much damage. While you could try to treat carpenter bees yourself, that has some inherent drawbacks. If you don’t get all of the carpenter bees, those left behind could continue to cause damage.
You also want to be sure you only affect carpenter bees, not beneficial insects with a casually similar appearance. Arrow Exterminating starts by identifying the insect and then provides the correct treatment for successful removal.
Once the carpenter bees are completely eliminated, fill the holes left behind with wood putty. That will prevent water from causing rot in the hole.
In the future, using treated wood will deter carpenter bees, though it’s not a foolproof deterrent. Some experts even claim that carpenter bees don’t realize something is wood if they cannot detect the wood grain so they suggest painting over wood stain.
How Do Carpenter Bees Make Holes?
Carpenter bees don’t have teeth. Instead they have mandibles that they use like teeth to chew through wood.
Carpenter bees will mate in the spring and search for a place to make their nest. Once they find a spot, the female bee drills into a piece of wood while the male wards off any rivals or intruders. This behavior can seem aggressive but male carpenter bees do not have a stinger, only the females do.
Why Do Carpenter Bees Bore Holes?
Female carpenter bees create holes in wood to deposit their eggs. The carpenter bee bores into the wood about an inch before turning the tunnel she is creating to follow the wood’s grain. The eggs are separated into chambers by plugs of pollen which are then eaten by carpenter bee larvae when they emerge from the eggs.
How Fast Can Carpenter Bees Drill Holes?
Carpenter bees can drill or chew through wood at a rate of roughly one inch every five to six days. While that doesn’t sound like much, these wood boring bees can create tunnels several feet long.
Are Carpenter Bees Dangerous?
No, carpenter bees are not dangerous. Male carpenter bees do not have a stinger so even if they seem aggressive, it’s usually to keep you away from the nest its mate is building for their eggs. Female carpenter bees do have a stinger but are not aggressive. They only sting if you bother them first, such as trying to swat them.
Let Arrow Handle Your Carpenter Bees
If you think you have a carpenter bee, wasp or yellow jacket problem; call Arrow Exterminating to identify and eliminate them. To get started, contact Arrow Exterminating today.
