Carpenter bees are unwanted pests for many homeowners. They are often destructive, causing lots of damage to houses and many headaches for those who live there. So, what can you do about carpenter bees?
An easy solution is to put a carpenter bee house near the spot you see the most bees. Bees tend to come back to the same places to lay eggs the following years. A carpenter bee house works to attract the bees. Then, it becomes a movable solution to the problem.
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Why Are Carpenter Bees Bad for Your Home?
Carpenter bees bore holes into wood. They’re well-known for causing damage to the wood trim of houses, wood siding, and wood decks. They bore holes to make homes for themselves and their offspring.
The damage can be devastating and costly if the bees are left unchecked. The situation is much the same as having a termite infestation. You want to stop the progress and rid your home of the insects as fast as possible.
Won’t the Carpenter Bees Just Leave?
The bees will leave after their season. They will bore their holes, make a home, and lay their eggs. The eggs will hatch and the larvae will stay in the wood holes until they’re ready to emerge as full-grown carpenter bees.
The bees are useful in your garden; you just don’t want them eating into the wood of your home. They work great for pollinating the plants in your gardens and around the property.
When the weather starts to change and it’s getting cooler, the bees will leave. If you don’t do anything about the holes they leave behind, the bees will come back when the temperatures start going back up in the spring.
What Can You Do About the Holes?
Once the bees are gone, push steel wool into all the holes. Then, use wood putty to completely fill them in and seal them up. When that’s dried solid, paint over it in the matching color.
When the bees come back, they’ll look for their holes. Upon finding they’re gone; they may just move on. Carpenter bees are lazy, so that could work in your favor.
Where Do You Hang a Carpenter Bee House?
You should put the house where you see the bees flying around. They’re likely going to start boring holes there anyway. The house will keep them from doing that. It’s easier for them to lay eggs in a home that’s already made.
When the bee season is ending, move the bee house away from your home. Move it to the end of your property. Don’t get rid of it. You want it far enough away from the home that it keeps the carpenter bees away from it, but close enough the bees can easily find it when they come back.
After the winter, bees start emerging in spring. The bees that hatched in your bee house will come back looking for it. They’ll lay their eggs in the newly positioned house safely distanced from your home.
Are Carpenter Bees Dangerous?
Like all bees, there’s always a possibility of being stung. Bees will only sting when disturbed or feeling threatened but when left alone, they will not harm you. If stung contact your doctor immediately as you may be allergic.
Carpenter bees are slightly less harmful as only the female bees have stingers. Males seem more aggressive as they fly around humans and pets more but they are not harmful as they don’t have stingers.
What are the Benefits of having Carpenter Bee in your Garden?
Like other bees, Carpenter Bee’s key role is to naturally pollinate plants, vegetables, and fruits. When controlled and housed properly these bees are a great asset to any garden help spread pollen overcrop, saving you a job.
Natural pollination is known to produce higher quality fruit and vegetables. Recommended in greenhouses when properly homed.
How Do Carpenter Bee Houses Work to Protect Your Home?
Bee houses give carpenter bees somewhere to lay their eggs without even having to do any work. Since they are so lazy, as was mentioned above, the bee house is certain to attract the bees in. They’ll use the provided house to lay eggs and leave your home alone.
How Do You Make a Bee House?
A bee house should be made from solid wood boards. You can fill it with little wood spools or tubes so bees already have somewhere to lay their eggs. These can be made from home in a few simple steps. Follow along to the video below on more on how to…
You can also purchase a pre-made bee house. Most of the large home building and repair stores carry them.
Should You Just Kill the Bees Instead?
Carpenter bees are destructive when they’re allowed to be. However, they’re essential insects that play an important role in pollinating plants. They provide us with healthier, better nourished plants.
Killing the world’s pollinators hurts our ecosystem. Using a bee house to deter carpenter bees from damaging your home and pull them away from it is a much eco-friendlier way to solve your issue. Why kill them if you don’t have to?
Final Thoughts
Overall Carpenter bees can be a pest to many homeowners but homed correctly can be used to your gardening advantage.
Carpenter bees destroy wooden frames around the outside of your homes creating little holes. They only create these to nest their eggs. But in large groups can look unattractive to homeowners and if threatened can be harmful.
Overtime Carpet Bees will leave your home as the seasons change. If wanting to be moved we recommend getting a professional to remove them for you as they can be dangerous in large numbers.
Using a secure Beehouse to house these bees can be a great idea to protect your home and help your garden blossom.
