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Carpenter bees love old houses

By: Shannon Lee , Contributing Writer
In: Home Improvement Tips

I am absolutely fascinated with carpenter bees.

I remember the moment my fascination began. A few years ago, I noticed perfectly round holes bored into the wood of my front porch. They were here and there, with no rhyme or reason to their placement. But they were so perfect that it looked as if someone had taken a drill, made the hole, then sanded it down to be perfectly smooth. I stared at them for the longest time, wondering what in the world they were.

Imagine my surprise when suddenly, this little bee appeared at the entrance of that perfectly round hole. It seemed to pause for a moment, contemplating the human who was staring at it, and then uncurled itself from the tiny space and flew off across the yard.

And just like that, I was hooked.

The amazing little carpenter bee

I immediately started doing some research -- because as much as I loved to watch their little faces peek out of the holes, I also knew that they were doing something in there besides looking cute. I quickly learned that those little holes are actually entrances to nests, that those nests can be several feet long, and that there could be many larva in that space. I learned that the females are aggressive toward anyone who threatens the nest, but the males are just rather curious, and will simply fly around a person over and over, trying to figure them out.

The males don't sting. The females, though? They have a stinger and they aren't afraid to use it.

Even if the potential damage to the house hadn't been enough to convince me that we could not live in harmony with the bees, the little fact of a stinger made it clear that somebody had to go. I'm seriously allergic to bee stings. No way was I going to share my porch with somebody who could cause me great harm.

Getting rid of carpenter bees

I wanted to eradicate the carpenter bees from my old house, but I didn't want to kill them. Every pest control expert I contacted made it clear that killing was what would have to happen, but I didn't want to accept that just yet. After some research, I learned that most of the holes created by the bees were inhabited by only a few females and their larva. By waiting until the ladies left the nest, I could seal up the holes. But what about the larva?

Unfortunately, the larva would be protected and probably survive in the nest, only to drill their way out in the spring. There was only one option where that was concerned.

So we waited until the bee left the nest. I watched as the bees curled their little bodies out of the tight space and flew off in search of the perfect flowers. Then I sprayed boric acid powder into the holes, using a strong sprayer to make sure it got into the crevices as far back as possible. Then I sealed up the holes with a small bit of steel wool on the inside and thick caulk on the outside.

To be absolutely sure that the adults would not be inclined to drill a new hole, I then spread almond oil all over the area where they had drilled the original nests. I had heard that it would repel them, so it was worth a shot.

Finally, I invested in a carpenter bee house. This is a little house made of wood with holes bored into it. The idea is that the carpenter bees will find the house and make their nests there.

The final result

Now we occasionally have a problem with an enterprising carpenter bee who sees our house as being a great place to set up shop, but we quickly remedy that by sealing off the hole before they can become truly established. Fortunately, many of those bees have found the house made especially for them -- located far across the yard, of course -- and in the spring they will be busy creating more nests. Now I can enjoy them from a safe distance, and they can have their own space without going after the wood in my house. It's a win-win for everybody.

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