We’re closing in on April quickly, and soon people will begin to notice noisy, large, black bees hovering around their homes. Sometimes called “good news bees” (perhaps because of the good news of spring’s arrival), these are carpenter bees – a fitting name for these industrious creatures. In an amazing show of precision and persistence, the female carpenter bee is capable of drilling a nearly perfect, 1/2 inch hole in wood. Unfortunately, the softwoods we use for building (such as pine) or valuable ornamental work (redwood, cedar) are the perfect medium for the carpenter bee to do her work.
A female carpenter bee starting her burrow
The first carpenter bees of spring are adults from the previous year that have spent the winter in abandoned burrows. Males (with a white spot on the face) investigate anything that comes near, including humans. Many people find their aggressive behavior frightening, but the males are perfectly harmless. Their minds are on the females which are also emerging from the previous year’s burrows. Females can deliver a fairly potent sting, but are generally not aggressive unless provoked or handled. In the spring, the females go about constructing burrows which they stock with pollen as food for their young. In the fall, carpenter bees clean out old burrows, and hole up for the winter months to repeat the cycle anew the following year.
Male bees have a white spot on the face and are harmless…
Unfortunately there is no “magic bullet” for carpenter bee control. Dust products are effective when applied to burrows, which should be left open for a few days to allow the female bees to crawl across the material. At that time people may elect to plug the holes – recommendations include plugging the entrance with a wooden dowel coated with carpenter’s glue, or inserting a ball of aluminum foil then filling the hole with wood putty. The best means of control is to make sure that susceptible wood surfaces have a good, fresh coat of paint, which can deter the bees. Stains and preservatives are generally less effective at repelling the bees. My personal favorite means of control? A badminton racquet……
‘Till next time, thanks for reading and for considering Black Pest Prevention!