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Carpenter Bees

Carpenter bees do not eat wood but do feed on plant pollen and nectar; however, they excavate dry, unpainted and weathered wooden objects such as doors, windowsills, roof eaves, railings, decks, untreated poles, fences and wooden lawn furniture. One of their favorite items to excavate is the rails and posts of oak split rail fences. They prefer pine, fir, Cyprus, oak and redwood, especially if the wood is not covered with bark, is unpainted or unfinished. Large carpenter bees sometimes bore into painted wood, especially if the paint covering is old and weathered.

 

Treatment

Carpenter bee prevention and treatment begins with a thorough inspection.  During the inspection, we will inspect to accurately identify the offending pest and locate the carpenter bee damage. The most effective control method is to apply an insecticide dust to the bee’s drill holes afterwards  the drill holes can be sealed and repainted. Sometimes it may also be useful to apply an aerosol spray to control free flying carpenter bees. We recommend sealing existing bore holes to discourage carpenter bees that are searching for possible nesting sites.