Carpenter Bee Wars

[Raul-02]

CARPENTER BEES
ARE YOU PLAGUED WITH THEM?
THEY CAN LITERALLY KNOCK A BUILDING DOWN IN A MATTER OF YEARS.

I think I have the nuclear bomb, the bee doomsday device.
Bayer Bioadvanced Carpenter Ant and Termite

I have found one thing that kills them.
Not some stupid trap, not some stupid air projectile, but kill them En MASSE
Bayer Bio Advanced Carpenter Ant and Termite.
You need a good sprayer. I like the SOLO 430-2G Handheld Sprayer Farm & Landscape, 2-Gallon, White, for around $40 on amazon. For my money, it is the single best sprayer in so many ways. Plus all the parts are replaceable, so you will keep it for decades.

Mix it as per directions 1/4 cup per gallon.

CYFLUTHRIN is the agent in it that kills bugs. It won't hurt you or your pets. It is a Pyrethrin derivative. Pyrethrin comes from a Chyrsanthemum. The way it kills insects is VIA their Sulfur Synapse. Mammals don't have a sulfur synapse.

Spray it all over your house's eaves, all exposed painted and unpainted woodwork around the base of the building, essentially anywhere you see ants or other bugs who are unwelcome. No need to keep the surfaces wet.
The Carpenter bee lands on your woodwork the feet pick up the agent even if it's been a couple days since you sprayed and the bee is dead in a few hours.

 

[Emainiac]

I'll check this out. Thanks for the tip. Currently, I use a small butterfly net attached to a 15' extension pole and have remarkably good luck catching them when they hover near the rake boards. It has become a side-hustle of mine when I have the time.

 

[Raul-02]

Currently, I use a small butterfly net

I've built the traps used a tennis racket even a stupid compressed air Salt gun. Killing them one at a time is pointless. Ya gotta exterminate 'em.

 

[5030]

I need to get some. Already have the sprayer. Does it work on yellow jackets too?

 

[mikester]

Can you post a link or a UPC code? If I do an exact search for "Bayer Bioadvanced Carpenter Ant and Termite" all I get is "BioAdvanced" links.

 

[David Wayne]

I used Bifenthrin this year with success, it too is a Pyrethrin. Can get it at TSC,
At least around here.

David

 

[pokey1416]

Here it is I think Lowes has it.

 

[5030]

I see Menards carries it. Next trip there I'll snatch a bottle. Thanks.

 

[ovrszd]

I'll try some.

Carpenter Bees have showed up on my farm in the last 6-8 years. My neighbor started getting them 10-12 years ago and did nothing to control them. Now they are here.......

 

[5030]

They have 'moved in' into the joists that support my shed roof on the side of the old hip roof barn. Hard to get in there to pull out equipment with them buzzing and bumbling around. They aren't the most proficient aviators.

 

[Gem99ultra]

I used Bifenthrin this year with success, it too is a Pyrethrin. Can get it at TSC,
At least around here.

David

I also use Pyrethrin - a lot. It's great insecticide for many things - such as yellow jackets, ants, ticks, etc.. One caution that I've seen however is that it is deadly to cats; not dogs.

I haven't seen such a warning for Bifethrin though, so I 'assume' that it is safe around cats, which we do have one.

One other insecticide that I occasionally use is Demon WP. Demon seems deadly to just about everything, and it continues protecting for 6 months or more.

 

[Gem99ultra]

I'm still looking for a long term remedy for Carpenter Bees. We've had an infestation here for the last few years. Pyrithrin works fine if I get it directly on them. Otherwise, as soon as it dries up, the bees are back.

I made the mistake of believing that carpenter bees wouldn't attack painted wood. So I went to a lot of extra work and expense painting various work tables, underneath porches, etc. - all for naught. The paint had hardly dried before they set in to continue drilling holes in everything!

I did find that a solution of Surrender worked, but only as long as it stayed on the wood surface. And so... the war goes on.

 

[Jaeger]

Decent price at local Home Depot:

BIOADVANCED 40 oz. Concentrate Carpenter Ant and Termite Killer Plus 700310B - The Home Depot

Enjoy the Bayer Advanced 32 oz. Concentrate Carpenter Ant and Termite Killer Plus 700310, with 21,000 sq. ft. of coverage it exterminates wood-destroying pests, including carpenter ants, termites and carpenter bees at The Home Depot

www.homedepot.com

Going to get some today and protect my giant deck!!!! THANKS OP for the tip!!!

 

[Raul-02]

Does it work on yellow jackets too?

Haven't found a bug it doesn't kill, and quickly

 

[AchingBack]

I run a a zip tie up into every hole in order to kill the eggs, or larvae, and I leave it in there. In addition, I have a few brown lunch bags I fill with enough material to make the bag pooched out to resemble a hornet nest. Before filling the bag you need to crumple it so it looks more realistic. Then I tie the bag at the top and hang it near any bee activity. Thinking their predators are nearby, bees will move on. I don't recall where I saw this method, but it really works without nasty insecticide use.
Cheap and easy.

 

[EddieWalker]

Here in East Texas, there was a period when Western Red Cedar was used on the Fascia of a lot of houses. If it wasn't painted, or the paint has flaked away, the bees will dig tunnels into the cedar and hollow it out. When I'm hired to deal with this, the cedar is ruined. I've never seen any issues with the pine behind the cedar. In every case, I replace all the cedar with Hardie, which solves the problem.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I've been fighting carpenter bees for over 30 years. They're burrowing into the beams and eves of the house & deck. Chemical sprays work fairly well but I'm at the age where climbing a ladder to apply the spray is getting difficult. I tried different traps over the years but none worked very well. Lately, my wife and I have been making sport out of swatting them from the deck with a badminton racket.

A couple of weeks ago, I asked a buddy who works part time as an exterminator. Before spending big $$ on a professional, he suggested I try these traps:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/macs-carpenter-bee-trap-set-of-2-plbt100-1548214?cid=Search-Google-TSC_DYN-Dynamic%20All%20Site-All%20Site%20TSC&utm_medium=Google&utm_source=Search&utm_campaign=TSC_DYN&utm_content=Dynamic%20All%20Site&utm_term=All%20Site%20TSC&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvqeUBhCBARIsAOdt45bQZOBFnjZl0HiWJR-Mih_hjSadMgfd1vO1lbPo0drnwZBPeBzJamUaAjM4EALw_wcB

Apparently, they don't work in every case but for us, they seem to be quite effective. My exterminator buddy said to put them in the sun as close to the problem areas as possible. We hung one on each end of our deck and the results are encouraging.

After just 4 days, there are at least 25 bees in the first trap:



and 10 or so in the second:



We see far fewer flying around than a week ago. We'll see what happens by the end of the season.

 

[Raul-02]

t least 25 bees in the first trap:

I'm lucky if I can trap a few. The bees here must be smarter.

 

[Raul-02]

Well a couple days ago I had 20 or 30 of them swarming the building. Today 2 or 3, I can only count a couple.

 

[mikester]

I'm still looking for a long term remedy for Carpenter Bees. We've had an infestation here for the last few years. Pyrithrin works fine if I get it directly on them. Otherwise, as soon as it dries up, the bees are back.

I made the mistake of believing that carpenter bees wouldn't attack painted wood. So I went to a lot of extra work and expense painting various work tables, underneath porches, etc. - all for naught. The paint had hardly dried before they set in to continue drilling holes in everything!

I did find that a solution of Surrender worked, but only as long as it stayed on the wood surface. And so... the war goes on.

Thanks for posting this...I've read they don't like painted wood and was considering painting the bottoms of my porch beams as added protection.