How to get rid of carpenter bee permanently? Let’s start read our article.

Carpenter bees are large bees that build their nest in woods by making hollows and creating galleries in the wood. Unlike other bees, they are not social insects, so they exist individually, building nests separately in wooden frames, trees, or eaves. They don’t eat the wood but burrow into it, causing structural damage at home.

Even though carpenter bees are great pollinators, they constitute a nuisance to your home. You shouldn’t allow them. In this article, you will learn how to identify carpenter bees, signs of infestation, and how to get rid of carpenter bees permanently.

What Does a Carpenter Bee Look Like?

There are about seven species of carpenter bees, so their physical features vary. However, a typical carpenter bee is black or yellow with an oval and robust body. They look like bumble bees. When you consider “carpenter bee vs bumble bee,” the obvious difference is the mode of operation of carpenter bees, which entails burrowing into woods. While a bumble bee has a hairy abdomen, a carpenter bee has a smooth and shiny abdomen.

Carpenter bees often measure around ½ to 1 inch. Even though the male carpenter bees cannot sting, they appear intimidating as they buzz aggressively to protect their nest. On the other hand, the female carpenter bees have stingers, but they only attack if they feel threatened.

Are Carpenter Bees Harmful?

They don’t attack humans directly, but they cause damage to wooden structures at home. Carpenter bee damage starts small but expands gradually until the wood becomes rotten and irreparable. The damage can lead to sinking floors, bulging walls, or dipping ceilings.

Carpenter bees also attract woodpeckers. While looking for carpenter bees’ larvae, the woodpeckers invade your house, causing more damage to the wood. The adult bees usually overwinter in the burrowed galleries and come out during spring.

Signs of Carpenter Bee Infestation

• Hole in the wood – You will notice holes and hollows in the house’s decks, doors, stairs, windows, and other wooden parts. They don’t eat the wood. Rather, they create nests in the wood.
• Sighting sawdust – Look out for wood frass. The shaving drops off and forms piles as they drill into the wood. It is best to discover the frass early to take preventive measures.
• Buzzing noise of the bees – You might also notice an infestation by listening to the bees’ buzzing noise as they burrow into the wood.
• Seeing the bees – since the male bees aggressively protect the nest, you may likely spot one of them. When you notice bees flying around, you should call professionals immediately.
• Pollen stains – You may also notice yellow pollen and feces at the hole’s entrance.

Carpenter Bee Control – How To Prevent Carpenter Bee Infestation

Early discovery is key to successfully preventing carpenter bee infestation. You can follow these tips to prevent carpenter bee infestation in the house.

• This bee likes bare unpainted woods, so paint or varnish decks, sills, frames, and other wooden structures to make them less attractive to the bees.
• Seal and caulk all access points before spring.
• Since carpenter bees reuse older holes for nesting, ensure that you caulk previous holes during fall when the carpenter bee queen is out of their nest.
• Lastly, you can spray the wood with insecticides to repel the bees.

How To Get Rid of Carpenter Bees Naturally

After discovering the carpenter bee nests, try the following ways to get rid of carpenter bees.

• Introduce Noise: Carpenter bees thrive in a quiet area with little human interaction. So, you can place a loud sound near the nest to scare the bees.
• Use carpenter bee repellent: Use natural repellent like citrus to make the bees leave their nest. They don’t like the smell of citrus oil, so you can spray the wood with citrus oil spray. To make citrus oil repellent, add a few drops of citrus oil to water. You can also boil the peel of your citrus in water.
• Use boric acid: This is like natural insecticides that can kill carpenter bees. Spray the carpenter bee nest in wood with boric acid to exterminate carpenter bees. Keep the acid out of the reach of children and take other safety precautions while using the boric acid.
• Use carpenter bee traps: Traps mimic the hole burrowed by the bees to catch them. The traps help to reduce carpenter bees around the house. You can make your traps or buy them at the store. Empty the traps regularly into trash cans.
• Use Carpenter bee insecticides: If you use insecticides, take safety precautions by using a facemask to prevent inhalation of the chemical. The best time to spray their nest is early spring or late fall before the eggs’ maturity. Also, applying insecticides at night when the adult bees have returned to their nest would be better. Ensure that insecticides are out of the reach of children and pets.
• Seal the holes: these insects reuse holes by burrowing deeper and enlarging previous holes. You can exterminate them by caulking the previous holes. The best time to seal the hole is in the fall to prevent overwintering adults from settling down.
• Call a professional carpenter bee exterminator: DIY is not 100% effective. You can never be in the wrong for calling professionals. Professional exterminators like Provincial Pest Control (PPC) will inspect your home, assess the situation, and devise a tailored solution that will permanently eliminate carpenter bees. This is even the most effective way of getting rid of carpenter bees.

Carpenter Bee Extermination Near Me (Canada)

Wherever you are in Canada, Provincial Pest Control (PPC) is your sure bet to get rid of carpenter bees. At PPC, we offer reliable carpenter bee removal services and an affordable carpenter bee treatment cost. We have experienced experts that know how to get rid of carpenter bees in commercial and residential spaces.

The perk of our services is the availability of 24/7 free inspection booking for your property almost anywhere in Canada. You shouldn’t miss out on this perk. Make a free inspection request today.