How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees

Carpenter bees can do major damage to your home. They are about the size of an acorn and can drill up to six feet into wood to lay their eggs. Several acorn-size holes going up to three feet into the wood can cause major damage. They mate in pairs, rather than a colony with a single queen and many workers like many bees and wasps . Multiple nests and females make them very difficult to get rid of.

Carpenter bees are quite large, generally bigger than a bumble bee and are mostly black or brownish. While they can be intimidating because of their size, the males don’t have stingers and the females rarely sting or bite. Most of the carpenter bees you see around your home will be males. The females spend most of their time boring into the wood to lay their eggs. They prefer untreated wood but have also been known to bore through painted and stained wood as well.

The key to getting rid of carpenter bees, or keeping them out of your home to start with, is to start treatment in the early spring and then treat throughout the winter. Like most insect pests, carpenter bees come when the weather gets warm. For lower placer county (Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Loomis, Newcastle, Granite Bay, and Folsom) this is generally a little earlier in the year (late March or April). For upper Placer County and Nevada County (Auburn, Grass Valley, Nevada City, Meadow Vista, Colfax, Alta and higher) this is generally mid-April or May.

Treatment

The way we treat carpenter bees is a three step process

1. First, we put a foam insecticide into the tunnels. This insecticide leaves a residue that will be picked up by any carpenter bees who enter the tunnel. The key is to spray all of the currently used tunnels. Tunnels that are currently being used will have recently chewed wood around the entrance.
2. Next, we put a spray on the eaves where the carpenter bees are nesting or searching for nesting areas. This ensures that even carpenter bees that don’t directly enter the nest will pick up the spray.
3. Finally, it is important to continue to treat throughout the summer. This ensures there is a protective barrier to keep carpenter bees away from your home and to make sure that any hatching bees pick up the residual before they are able to start chewing on your home.

Early Treatment Avoids Damage

Left untreated, carpenter bees can cause major damage and compromise your home’s structural integrity causing costly repairs. What can start as a few carpenter bees can quickly turn into dozens or hundreds of bees eating away at your home. When it comes to carpenter bees, early treatment is key and can save you money and frustration.