Carpenter Bees ...

[Thomas]

Spray a little of this or any brake cleaner in the hole.View attachment 790444

Works great on wasp nest high up.

 

[ruffdog]

I have read that carpenter bees hate citrus oil or spray. Maybe try squeezing a lemon/lime/orange by the hole just to try it.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Demon WP. I've tried at least a half dozen other insecticides with no success. I had heard or read that Carpenter Bees do not attack painted surfaces. Ha! Forget that. I have a beautiful potting bench that I built and painted with 2 coats of Behr. It was drilled with holes within 6 months. I have a 'holy' front porch & deck that has 'bullet holes' all underneath it.

Demon WP does work! Demon doesn't kill them upon contact but they do die within 24 hours or so. Mix 2 little packets in 1 gallon of water, spray area with a pressure sprayer, and forget it for the season.

 

[WinterDeere]

Thanks for the links, I’ll certainly try this on the lower more accessible ones but the ones that are 30-40 feet up are out of the question.
During the day they seem to hang out around the shed row barn, flying around. I was hoping to find something that will just kill on contact like a fly spray would.
Maybe I need a flame thrower

The dust kills on contact. It takes several minutes to do its work, but if you can get it onto them, they will die. Short of that, I've never seen anything that does them in.

Before dusting, I used to shoot them out of the air with wasp spray (it has reach), but would have to step on them to actually kill them. They can usually take a direct hit from wasp spray, and if you don't step on them, they'll be back up and flying as soon as they dry off.

 

[kenmbz]

I put up some home made wood traps.
woodpeckers always seem to find them when they do set in before I do though :-(

It's been so rainy here I don't think paper bags would last very long.

Maybe back to the tennis racket.

 

[ruffdog]

Using citrus.......

Using Citrus Oil To Prevent Carpenter Bees - Spray Recipe and Instructions - The Pest Informer.

How to Make a Homemade Carpenter Bee Spray - Green Pest Solutions.

 

[WinterDeere]

“You hear about the new roach spray? It doesn’t kill the roaches, but it fills them with self doubt as to whether or not they’re in the right house.” -George Carlin

Sorry, the citrus spray reminded me of this.

 

[JJT]

I've tried everything from traps to tennis rackets to .22 shot, nothing beats

FenvaStar EcoCap.​

In the spring I treat exposed wood, twice a few days apart and then repeat again in the fall. It's not immediate, one poisoned bee will poison several more. A few days after treating you'll see tons of dead bees, and then no more bee activity for months. My hand held sprayer will reach the eaves, so no ladders and dusting every single hole. 8 ounces, $16 a year and less than 2 hours of time.

I have seen a poison that kills on contact, but you cannot get it in NY.

Bee spray is ineffective, these things are in the ant family, I believe.

Two coats of quality paint seems to work, they really like bare wood, even pressure treated.

 

[etpm]

I’ve hit the bees directly with that to no effect. I can try it on some holes but there’s hundreds and many are 20+ feet up. Thanks.

When you used the brake cleaner was it the chlorinated stuff? I have never seen any flying insect able to resist chlorinated hydrocarbons of any sort. Brakleen comes in two types, chlorinated and non-chlorinated.
Eric

 

[Duds13]

I have an exterminating company spray my house exterior and other structures (sheds, gazebos) each spring for bees. Costs about $250, and have never had an issue with bees since.

^^^ This ^^^