Carpenter bees

[Ian Gills]

My roof was replaced last year. This year I have noticed about 10 carpenter bee holes on the fascia, above the windows where the wood has not been covered by vinyl. I am going to treat these professionally and then contain the problem in future years with a carpenter bee kit.

Once the bees have gone, I will fill the holes and paint. My neighbor (who had carpenter bees several years ago) is a perfectionist and views any infestation as a structural issue (he's a carpenter by hobby). My question is....is it, given that this is the first, or possibly second, infestation? I have no intention of replacing the fascia but just performing annual maintenance i.e. a good coat of paint every year on the small wood surface and regular spraying.

Would you call out a carpenter bee issue? If so, at what level of infestation? One hole? Ten? The pistol shot look?

[Brian E. Kelly]

Durring my (WDIIR) Termite Inspection, I would call it out.

I do not think that Bee holes in facia is a structural issue, but then again I am not a PE either.

[Peter C. Russell]

I have a interesting question, what if bee's bored through ship lap siding over a window and caused leaks? is this a viable problem with bee's and once they infestate is re-occurrence expected?

[Joseph Hagarty, CMI]

This is more of a WDI concern than structural.

Carpenter Bees should be properly treated in order to control their activity.

[Mike Hazelwood]

Ian,
I am not there in person to look at your problem but I am going to assume that these bees just started to show up....If so then as far as structural damage is concerned you should be ok with filling the holes and painting....Having the bees proffesionally exterminated is the right path at the same time the pest co that you hire should be able inspect treat and give you any further recommendations....as far as spending money on bee proof kits check with the pest co. first, they should have better ideas than anything you can buy at a home improvement store.

Good luck,

[Ian Gills]

Thanks for all the advice. After reading this, and doing some more research, I feel very well equipped to deal with these now. My itinery is as follows:

1) spray the holes with WD-40 at night (it really does work...the females just pop out...dead)
2) get a professional pest control in to finish the job
3) wait a few days
4) fill the holes with wood filler
5) paint the holes and the wood
6) *this is a neat trick* cut some wire insect mesh and staple it to the affected wood areas. Then paint, paint, paint the mesh (so it becomes hidden). That should prevent reinfestation.

[Brian E. Kelly]

Control

Carpenter bees prefer to attack wood which is bare, weathered and unpainted. Therefore, the best way to deter the bees is to paint all exposed wood surfaces, especially those which have a history of being attacked. Wood stains and preservatives are less reliable than painting, but will provide some degree of repellancy versus bare wood. To further discourage nesting, garages and outbuildings should be kept closed when carpenter bees are actively searching for nesting sites.

Paint seems to work.

[Ted Allen]

Kill them

After reading all of that boring crap the best way to get rid of them once you have them is to go to the local "do it your self" pest place and get some Suspend ( Deltamethrin) and spray the effected areas ( please read the lable) . Or you could call a pest company and pay $150- $450 for there removal. 520-320 LOL

Or, you could just mix some "pure" soap with some water and soak the area once a day for about a week.

If anyone wants info on how to deal with pests please post as I am in a possition to know the answers.

I am now the proud owner of 7 licences.

[Ted Allen]

Originally Posted by Ian Gills

My roof was replaced last year. This year I have noticed about 10 carpenter bee holes on the fascia, above the windows where the wood has not been covered by vinyl. I am going to treat these professionally and then contain the problem in future years with a carpenter bee kit.

Once the bees have gone, I will fill the holes and paint. My neighbor (who had carpenter bees several years ago) is a perfectionist and views any infestation as a structural issue (he's a carpenter by hobby). My question is....is it, given that this is the first, or possibly second, infestation? I have no intention of replacing the fascia but just performing annual maintenance i.e. a good coat of paint every year on the small wood surface and regular spraying.

Would you call out a carpenter bee issue? If so, at what level of infestation? One hole? Ten? The pistol shot look?

I am sorry, I did not answer your question.

Carpenter bees are not much of a problem, once you see them give the a squirt of "suspend" or many doses of "pure" soap and water and they will go away.

If it is so bad that there are more than 12 holes per ten linier feet then you may need to take drastic measures. However, I have never seen nor has any of my counterparts ( 50 + years) seen an infestation that was structuraly damaging. I suggest the soap thing, and if that fails you need to either get the right meds (if your State allows) or call someone who is licenced to treat such things.

Best of luck to you.

[wsiegel]

Boric acid works good too.

[Ian Gills]

Thank you for all this useful advice. The pest control company seems to have got rid of them and I also bought some Suspend for control next year.

Boric acid aka roach powder. Now that would have been a cheaper option!

Anyway, I am now filling the holes and painting.

One question on Suspend for tallen. I am thinking of using some of this to spray the border of my property to repel other insects (like the pest control company does). Do you have any advice regarding how much I should spray and where (how high on the wall, ground, doors, windows etc.)? Is a thorough spray (using gallons) better than smaller, more regular sprays (say a gallon a time, every now and again). The instructions advise a thorough wetting, but I feel uncomfortable laying so much of the chemical down.

[Ted Allen]

Originally Posted by Ian Gills

Thank you for all this useful advice. The pest control company seems to have got rid of them and I also bought some Suspend for control next year.

Boric acid aka roach powder. Now that would have been a cheaper option!

Anyway, I am now filling the holes and painting.

One question on Suspend for tallen. I am thinking of using some of this to spray the border of my property to repel other insects (like the pest control company does). Do you have any advice regarding how much I should spray and where (how high on the wall, ground, doors, windows etc.)? Is a thorough spray (using gallons) better than smaller, more regular sprays (say a gallon a time, every now and again). The instructions advise a thorough wetting, but I feel uncomfortable laying so much of the chemical down.

.75-1.5 oz to the gallon around the perimeter of the home 2 feet up and 3 feet out, around windows and any other openings ie. gas lines etc. You may also use it inside, but I would use the 1oz per gallon (.04 )dillution for that.I am sure the suspend came with a label. It is always best to read that until you completly understand it and then you will know exactly what to do.

Here is the label.

Goto go.

[Ian Gills]

Thank you.

[Robert J. OConnor]

Originally Posted by jhagarty

This is more of a WDI concern than structural. Carpenter Bees should be properly treated in order to control their activity.

Agreed ... as long as they havent gotten to any structural framing members. Need to look closely if there are signs of activity.

JMO

[Peter W. Bennett]

Now I know what they are called carpenter bees.
check out the image of two boring holes which are in the exact location of the siding.