Carpenter Bee (2024)

FAQs

What is the fastest way to get rid of carpenter bees? ›

Boric Acid. This common household item can be used for a bevy of different DIY insect-removal projects. Mix 3 parts water with 1 part boric acid in a spray bottle and spray inside the entrance hole. This is very poisonous to the carpenter bees and will exterminate them within an hour.

In the fall, use wood putty or our Hand Dipped Wooden Corks, specially sized for carpenter bee holes, to cover up nest holes and crevices so that your home is less appealing to these pests in the spring. Repair damage from old carpenter bee nests.

When you treat, carpenter bee sprays can be applied on and around the holes in the wood. The spray is effective on newer intrusions. Spray insecticide more heavily in very early spring to prevent infestation and then treat regularly throughout the summer.

Almond oil and citrus oil are carpenter bee repellents. A good way to deter females from nesting is to spray a layer of almond oil/water mixture on any susceptible areas. Do this a few times throughout the spring to discourage bees from nesting.

The most effective ones usually contain ingredients like cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, bifenthrin, or lambda cyalothrin. Your exterminator will apply the insecticide to each entrance hole. It will take a few days for the insecticide to get to the bees and larvae.

Apply the pesticide at dusk, when carpenter bees are less active. For the insecticide to work, the bees much come in contact with it as they crawl through the entrance hole of the nest. Apply the appropriate insecticidal dust in the spring, just before adults emerge to mate.

The short answer is yes. Female carpenter bees can sting you, although they are very unlikely to do so unless you're handling them or poking your fingers into their burrows (which is already mentioned above as something you should not do). Male carpenter bees are not equipped with stingers.

If you're battling a carpenter bee infestation this season, we'd say citronella and lemongrass!

If you want to try an option that doesn't use synthetic chemicals, you can spray a 3 to 1 mixture of boric acid and water into the nest to kill the carpenter bees. Treatment of the nest with diatomaceous earth can also be effective at killing these wood bees.

Soap can kill bees and other insects because it is a surfactant—a substance that essentially makes water wetter. If you take a leaf and spray it with plain water, the water forms little round droplets. If you spray the same leaf with soapy water, the water flattens out into a thin layer.

Can carpenter bees sting or bite you? ›

The short answer is yes. Female carpenter bees can sting you, although they are very unlikely to do so unless you're handling them or poking your fingers into their burrows (which is already mentioned above as something you should not do). Male carpenter bees are not equipped with stingers.

Carpenter bees HATE the smell of citrus and will avoid creating a nesting site anywhere near that location. For best results, reapply a coat every few days during carpenter bee season to ensure continued protection.

The Most Effective Way to Fill Carpenter Bee Holes

To fill bee holes, cut a piece of steel wool or rolled-up tin foil that is large enough to fill the entire entrance to the hole. Then, smooth over cracks with plaster.