How to repair carpenter bee damage?

[beenthere]

As other's mentioned, drill the holes to a known size and plug with wood the same size and some waterproof glue. Cut flush with an oscillating multi-tool.

Have no problem with carpenter bees, but have had serious problems with woodpeckers.
With two hole saws (2-7/8 and 2-3/4) can make the plugs to fit nicely into the holes bored out in the siding. Carpenter adhesive to hold the plugs in has worked well over the last 40 years.

 

[10Ring]

Have no problem with carpenter bees, but have had serious problems with woodpeckers.
With two hole saws (2-7/8 and 2-3/4) can make the plugs to fit nicely into the holes bored out in the siding. Carpenter adhesive to hold the plugs in has worked well over the last 40 years.

I'm a few days late but thought I'd share. I've found DoMyOwn.com to be very helpful for all of these kinds of solutions. Just type in the name of the offending creature and they will recommend the top professional grade products to get rid of them. I've had luck with Suspend and Bifen IT both for bees. I've also used Taurus SC with good results, mainly because I had it on hand for Carpenter Ants which are worse than Carpenter Bees at my place, and Taurus is great for them. No affiliation with DoMyOwn, just a happy customer. They have good customer service as well. Hope that's helpful.

 

[deereman75]

I don't like bondo brand, but good body filler is likely the cheapest and easiest and most durable option. The quality ones aren't as hard and brittle so you won't run into cracking with the expansion and contraction. They spread and sand better too. And if you buy through a good supplier it's likely cheaper than buying bondo brand at the diy store

 

[jyoutz]

What are the general thoughts on this (the following)

We get them little SOB's.... unrelated, I'm debating on replacing the guttering. The fascia behind the guttering seems to be their favorite chomping ground.

(never mind the 9 traps I had that were filled with dozens and dozens and dozens of them)

Anyway, what are the thoughts on replacing the natural wood fascia with one of those composite boards?

For the bees, I'm thinking they're not going to touch/bite it.... but I'm unsure how it would hold up with the gutter attached to it?

Just face your current facial boards by covering with colored steel. They make steel trim for this purpose. Then install the gutters over the steel.

 

[mikester]

Have no problem with carpenter bees, but have had serious problems with woodpeckers.
With two hole saws (2-7/8 and 2-3/4) can make the plugs to fit nicely into the holes bored out in the siding. Carpenter adhesive to hold the plugs in has worked well over the last 40 years.

Recently had woodpecker issues too....they were attacking the metal TV antenna tower, metal downspouts on the house, and the metal cladding on my steel barn. They must love the reverb or their brains are getting scrambled.

 

[plowhog]

Lookup Drione dust, it's the best way to treat holes before sealing up, both for adult bees inside and for larva that will grow into a bee

I looked at this and ordered some. Seems better to kill anything inside the holes before filling.

 

[big bubba]

I thought about getting traps for our carpenter bees but it would spoil my wife's fun. She loves to "stalk" them out on our deck and whack them with a badminton racket. She's pretty good at it. She gets 5 or 6 a day during the season.

btw the bees pack a powerful sting

 

[CH4Ohio]

btw the bees pack a powerful sting

Carpenter bees here do not sting. Never been stung and they don't land on you or try to sting. Been fighting them yearly for a long time. You must be dealing with yellow jackets or something different.

As far as damage . . . I've ripped some 2" x 10" material that they've bored into just to see the damage. It's extensive and they tunnel back horizontally right after making their entry hole into the side or bottom. I think the most economical way to repair the structural damage would be to scab another equal board onto the damaged board and let it overlap far enough back to provide proper support. I've considered doing this with damaged rafter ends that are exposed in the overhang of the barn.

 

[big bubba]

Carpenter bees here do not sting. Never been stung and they don't land on you or try to sting. Been fighting them yearly for a long time. You must be dealing with yellow jackets or something different.

As far as damage . . . I've ripped some 2" x 10" material that they've bored into just to see the damage. It's extensive and they tunnel back horizontally right after making their entry hole into the side or bottom. I think the most economical way to repair the structural damage would be to scab another equal board onto the damaged board and let it overlap far enough back to provide proper support. I've considered doing this with damaged rafter ends that are exposed in the overhang of the barn.

ok possibly so, the sting i got then must have been bumble. was a bad one, but you could be correct, but i won't grab the next one i see @ my place. yellow jackets are a whole different beast, been there before running over their subterranean nests while mowing, etc
note from the following link: females do have stingers but are not aggressive. i do remember being stung in the area where they nest on my porch. anyway, to the OP: you have lots of repair opts from this forum, time to get to work, best regards

What to Know About Carpenter Bee Stings

Find out what you need to know about carpenter bees, their benefits and drawbacks, and their potential health risks.

www.webmd.com

 

[the old grind]

Recently had woodpecker issues too....they were attacking the metal TV antenna tower, metal downspouts on the house, and the metal cladding on my steel barn. They must love the reverb or their brains are getting scrambled.

Not an attack but drumming as a call out to others. They seem to like the resonance of metal. When feeding theiir pecking is not steady or uniform, and they have an uncanny ability to find things below the surface. (larvae, etc) When they're digging at a tree it's a sign of bugs that might should be treated. I see woodpeckers as a warning that a tree may be in danger.

 

[Deere Dude]

i had a wood tailgate for a trailer 2x10x6 feet hat was attacked by those little buggers. For a project I had going I needed some saw dust. (5 Gallons or so). I decided to plane down that board into dust.

After taking a few passes 1/16" at a time I was amazed at the passages they left. Some were 8" long and looked like hollowed out caves.

 

[big bubba]

pretty amazing creatures they can do that. termite on steroids, but think far less problematic.
in the same way mud dobbers make their nests with clay in the same areas as carpenter bees (at least on my cabin porch) carpenter bee tunnels are well machined out, be interesting to see how they do that up close
in terms of structural damage, have had no problems here. i think it's rare in that way, only cosmetic? i've seen their nests in red oak cutting & splitting firewood in the Ozarks. part of the natural cycle

 

[Torvy]

I see woodpeckers as a warning that a tree may be in danger.

I see woodpeckers as a sign of impending hyjinks on Saturday mornings.

 

[bdhsfz6]

btw the bees pack a powerful sting

I don't know if this is true for all species of carpenter bees but around here, just the females have stingers. Their main defense is, they resemble bumble bees.

 

[s219]

I don't know if this is true for all species of carpenter bees but around here, just the females have stingers. Their main defense is, they resemble bumble bees.

Same with the ones here in Virginia, only the girls have stingers. The boys are very aggressive and put on a good show, but they can't hurt you.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I has 4 structures the bees LOVE. A screen porch, my sons tree house, an old shed and my NEW garage. I vowed this year I would fight back and I did. The main goal should be prevention. I don't like to use chemicals whenever possible, but drastic times call for drastic measure. I ordered a Carpenter Bee Prevention Kit. It comes with a residual spray, Delta Dust and a dust puffer. I started by spraying the residual spray called Cyzmic CS, it is supposed to keep with from eating into the wood. I then dusted the holes and LEFT THEM OPEN. That allows new bees to become exposed to the wood and die. It worked very well. I did not notice any new holes in these structures. It is now time to go back and fill these holes. I have had good luck with const. adhesive for filling. Here is a link to some great info on how to get these things under control.

How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees - DIY Pest Control

Get Rid of Carpenter Bees and Carpenter Bee nests with recommended professional pest control products for residential and commercial control and prevention of carpenter bees

www.doyourownpestcontrol.com

Good Luck Gentlemen!