Posted: 5/30/2006 4:58:10 PM EDT
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I noticed this weekend that I had these huge bumble bees flying around my back yard. These bastards are HUGE. I watched them for awhile and noticed that some were concentrating around one particular area. In this area I notice 3 perfectly round holes in my cedar trim under the gutter. Through my superior internet skills, I have come to the conclusion that I have Carpenter Bees. Does anyone have any experience in getting rid of these bastages? (short of nuking from orbit) Did I mention that I'm terrified of bees? HELP! |
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I'm pretty sure bumble bees are not carpenter bees. Bumble bees are huge, black and yellow. But they do like to take up residence in places like you mentioned. Too bad it is part of your house. Gasoline in a garden sprayer is a quick fix in most cases. Sneak up and plug the holes one night. Or hook your hoover to it, and suck them out. |
| Keep spraying the holes with bug spray. Use the kind that's supposed to keep them away for 3 or 4 weeks. "Raid - Wasp & Hornet" comes to mind, but there are lots of others. You can try to plug the holes too, but they'll keep opening them back up if you don't keep spraying. Good luck with it! |
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Bumble bees =/= carpenter bees. Carpenter bees are big, black and sting like a bastige. Bumble bees don't sting and are golden in color. My Dad had a log with carpenter bees in it. He plugged up the entrances with 1/4" wire mesh and stuck the long nozzle of a can of WD40 into one entrance and gave them a liberal lubricating. Next day, no more carpenter bees. |
Correct, except you can't get them to sting you. I kill them by using a 12 ga. cleaning patch saturated with insecticide pushed into the hole--after they are dead, caulk with latex caulk. Any bare wood will attract them--paint or good stain is the only protection. Oh, they are carpenter bees--the 1/2" holes are the sure sign. Docile, but VERY destructive--the holes go up about an inch and then form a "T" with each let going about two inches. 
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Um, no--bumble bees are large and roundish, hairy with bright yellow and black stripes. They are quite aggressive and sting eagerly when defending their nest. The nest is usually located under something, or in tall grass, located on the ground. They produce "eggs" of honey which look like golden/orange turtle eggs. Carpenter bees are solid black, shiny and with an off-white face. The females bore holes in wood and produce the "tunnels" I mentioned above. They are reluctant to sting, but are able to do so. 
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| My neighbor had a similar problem last year and had good luck with the shop-vac method. He plugged every hole (save one) that he could find. He then duck taped the shop vac over the last hole and flipped the switch. He set that up around 5am before work and let it run all day when they would be most active. When he got home he pulled the hose down and sprayed a half a can of be killer into the shop-vac and waited 10 minutes. I was over there when he opened it and damn.... the bottom was about 3" deep with bees. I was more than a little surprised. He then put the rest of the bee killer up through the holes and foamed them shut. |
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There are more! My father had that problem. After using three cans of bee killer andone of WD40. I filled a garden sprayer with dawn dish soap 1/3 and water2/3. Sprayed them as they came back to the holes. The soap knockes them down and will drownd(sp) them, but it might take a min., so I steped on them as they fell. The hard part is getting close enought and killing the first 5 or 10 near the hole. Then keep an eye on the hole and kill the ones that come back. usually one or two at a time. Oh this took about 4hrs. and I lost count after 50. And my dad was still killing them the next day. |
