The BEST way to get rid of carpenter bees. They were destroying my deck!
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- Опубліковано 12 чер 2022
- The BEST way to get rid of carpenter bees! I've tried different solutions but this is by far the most effective method I've found to kill and prevent carpenter bees.
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Backpack Sprayer
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I make balls of gray Walmart shopping bags wrapped in silver duct tape. This resembles a paper hornet/wasp nest. Carpenter bees are afraid of them and won't come around. I did this last year to great effect. I hung one on each corner and scattered on several posts of the wood fence, each corner of my garage, and a couple in the rafters of my garage. It worked all summer!
I do not like to see these bees killed. They are pollinators and honey bees have been struggling to make a comeback. If you paid and I mean put a really good coat of paint on your deck or wherever wood is exposed, then you won't have a problem with them.
@@BattlestarVoices Are you talking to me? I'm not killing them! My gray balls just scare them away. I can't paint every wood surface on my homestead. AND I have plenty of pollinator bees because I do regenerative gardening and have a garden full of flowers that attract them. I'm sure the carpenter bees will be just fine in the woods across from my property.
This is what I do. It works fantastic. But I use a brown paper lunch bag. Fill it with another bag or 2 crumpled. Then crumple the whole thing a little so it's football shaped. Hang one on each corner to simulate a wasp nest and keeps them away. Same concept as you. I had horrible problems and this has worked for the last 2 years I've done it. ZERO drilling by the bees and no chemicals.
@@curiouscat3384 Don't think so, only giving the right opinion that they are pollinators and there are other method's as you stated also. I don't kill them either, or any kind of bees.
I made the paper bag decoys for the last couple of years. They initially worked great, but I think the bees have gotten wise to em. I've seen the bees land right next to em this year, so I guess I need a new plan :(
I not only deal with the carpenter bees on my log sided house but then in the fall and winter the woodpeckers come and drill even bigger holes in my wood to eat the larvae that the bees lay. We decided to use this for stink bugs and found out by accident that it seemed to help with carpenter bees so we will be spraying more. Glad it’s working for you.
Works for any insect. Cuz, is a general poison.
Doesnt painting the deck stop them? Seemed to stop them on our deck
She has a log sided house, so no…painting the deck won’t help
@@gailc6158 yes, oil based paint, and if u can find some old lead paint, that protects the wood outside from carpenter bees. They don’t chisel lead paint, but it’s banned now, but maybe some old man has a can in an old barn. 👍
Yup, ditto for me. First the bees and then followed by the woodpeckers actually ripping huge chunks of wood from my deck rails. I have used Permethrin for wasps but never treated the deck against the bees. Guess now is the time to get to doing that.
Mix about two ounces with a small tub of vasoline. Pack the mixture into a large plastic syringe with a tapered tip that fits in the bee hole. Apply a small dav of the mixture just inside each hole. For high places I tape the syringe to a 3/4” pvc pipe. The bees will fall out in droves. I have a large log home and I spend a few minutes each spring and haven’t had any problems since
Called "Bee Butter" it works! Used years ago in N Ga cabin, need this now in NC. Amazon syringe with the mixture works as the Vaseline sticks on them as they go thru the holes...maybe a small amount like couple Peas and you'll be watching them die...of course this is after they have made a hole....I also have a squirt bottle, and make a game of those flying by
Came for the bees, stayed for the deck and the landscaping. Gave me some ideas. Very nice backyard and deck.
Both are fun in the sun. ENJOY You just talked me into a new deck on the Back hill, in the sun or shade...
We had tarantulas under our soffits on the Deck, everywhere. 3-foot diameter webs at the top of the steps. No Thanks. I hunted Mice in the kitchen of a shack one time.
Have you ever used a 22 rifle, with shorts, and a scope at 65 feet to clear your porch spiders We were down in a holler shooting safely. Never pass on mother nature's variety
As a carpenter/remodeler for 42 years, with, extensive deck repair experience, it's past time to preserve your deck. It's more work than people think on a 2 story deck, but, COMPLETE wall protection is key. Power wash, secure loose boards, and, spray with oil base stain, water base stain on any exterior structure will not penetrate. Solid color stains are nothing but glorified paint, bad news too. Oil base transparent, or, semi-transparent stain have lasted my customers for 5+ years at a time. Water based stains (yes I tried them) may last 2 years & it's time to spend that money all over again.
Pertaining to this video, my pressure washer has soap tubs & I added permethrin to a tub & power washed with that first, let dry for 2 days, then, stained the deck. Excellent results!!
Awesome tips, thank you @benttwisted210! I’m just learning about permethrin - actually in a search to try & get a handle on the ground bees that be taken over 1/2 my yard (for the 2nd year now that we’ve been at this house!) but could use it for our carpenter bees too!
@@danil9574 Sevin dust 50% from a landscaping supply, (the diy stuff at stores...no good), follow instructions, by mixing with water @ a certain ratio, or, certain weight per gallon, pump spray the nests, bam, done!!
Stain does not stop carpenter bees!! My neighbor found this out on his 1 year old deck
@@gregorymcdaniel2249 ya, well, reread my comment 😏
That was what I did to get rid of them, too. If you didn't know, permethrin is used in clothing that repels biting insects. So, if you mix it even weaker, you can treat clothes and other items it'll soak into and it'll keep ticks and mosquitoes away pretty well, and it is good for up to 7 washes. You can buy it pre-mixed from companies like Sawyer, but I have a chemistry background so I decided to go your route because it is much more cost-effective. It is toxic to cats, and some dogs, so keep that in mind (It's why K9 Advantix shouldn't be used on cats). I worked in the outdoor industry for years and I was told it's pretty safe once it's dry. I use it on clothes, tents, backpacks, hats, outdoor chairs, and my dog's collar, to name a few. It was hands down the best way I found to keep ticks off me while working outside in Missouri.
exactly , its toxic to cats....
I work in the woods full time in Georgia. I used to get eaten alive by chiggers and ticks all Summer. A few years back I started treating all of my work clothes with permethrin and I haven’t had one single bite since. I buy 10% in a gallon jug and water it down to 0.5% in a pump sprayer. I hang my clothes on a line outside, saturate them with the sprayer and let them hang until fully dry. I swear by the stuff!
@Bang Bang I'm in Georgia also and I hunt and fish. Yes the stuff works great, but they say do not get it on your skin and make sure the clothes are dry before wearing.
I’m interested in treating gear and clothing-must you reapply after washing or is it retained through the wash?
@BRANDYwine I treat all of my hunting clothes and it works great. I can't remember the exact mix, but I think it's the one for spraying horses stalls and such. I think it is only about 200:1. I just spray clothes until damp, not soaking. I've washed them around 5 times before reapplying. Read the caution label, I stay upwind and wear rubber gloves.
Totally works!! Thank you! My boyfriend has a large patio and a storage shed that is sitting up on concrete blocks in the backyard and the bees were under the patio as well as under the storage shed. I observe them for several weeks and then I found your video, mixed up some spray and sprayed everywhere and they were gone Pretty much immediately. It’s been over a month and they have not returned yet. Thank you again.
Wow! I wished I had known about this stuff 3 years ago. My deck sits low to the ground, so I'm not able to get underneath it without crawling under it. But, the carpenter bees mostly hover near the steps, but makes it hard to sit out on the deck or do yard work. I'm ordering this now off Amazon. Glad this video popped up in my feed!😊
When re-staining and painting our cedar wood house, we mixed this in with the stain and paint, which has kept the bees away for years now. Will reapply as necessary.
Could you tell me about how much you put per gallon? thanks for your input, much appreciated!
@@Rufflife777 Sorry for delay. I need to check with my husband 👍🏻
Sounds like a good idea. Why didn't i think of that 😂😅
@rufflife use the label but for most pesticides it's 1 ounce per gallon which should be a.6 percentage which is the highest on most labels
@@michaelmerck7576 Thanks for info!
I put up a carpenter bee trap I bought at Lowe's and it done the trick for me. It looks like a little birdhouse with holes drilled in it. Heck, you could make one. It comes with scent that attracts them, then, after the first one or two bees get trapped, subsequent bees are drawn by the trapped one's scent. It works great. I think so anyway.
Same here. I didn’t want to use chemicals. Whoever designed that trap from Lowe’s is the G.O.A.T. Last year I caught over 35 in one trap and about 20 in another. I could then sit outside on my deck UNDISTURBED. You gotta put it out in early spring so that they don’t use your deck to start drilling their holes before going into the trap.
I made some traps. Once one bee is in it, leave it. They put off hormones and attract others. Worked for us for over 20years
I watched a few videos on how to make a carpenter be trap, made one with a few of my own modifications, and it works great.
I usually put it out mid March and then leave it out till the end of May.
Part two of my method is to continually inspect for bees that didn't go for the trap and opted drill a hole in my deck.
When I find one of those, I wait till after dark when they are all home and fill the hole with calk and that's the end of them.
Been using this chemical free method for years and it works great.
I rarely find any bees that drill holes in my deck. They all usually go for the trap I made.
wish you had a link. i need one. : )
I have the same and it works great!!!
Thanks for info. I’m a widow who has been battling these pesky bees for the past three years. I appreciate you sharing this. Will definitely try it.
Thank you for sharing …I woke yesterday to shreds of wood from up on my porch looking like a woodpecker had had a field day finding bugs…I will look for some today …stay blessed
There is a type of large woodpecker, that will tear the already damaged wood, because of tunnels in it, to eat the bee larvae. Lots of this in SC.
I used the thin red tube on a spray can of brake cleaner and sprayed a good dose into the carpenter bee hole. I then immediately plugged the hole with a cotton ball and in about 3 or 4 minutes all buzzing activity stopped in the bee tunnels. I pushed the cotton in and filled the hole with wood filler and a light sanding and it was ready for a touch up painting. The break cleaner evaporates really quickly and the fumes quickly kills the bees. No risk to cats or other animals. Just the bees in the tunnels.
I use balls of 000 steel wool - the bees cannot chew through it and it grabs better on the sides of the hole so they cannot push it out and escape
@@joemccarthywascorrect6240 The steel wool works but the brake cleaner kills them so they are not alive to push the cotton ball out. I sealed the hole with wood filler so they are trapped in there. They never came back. They had nested in a wood frame for a basketball hoop on a garage.
@@nunnaurbzznzzz1734 hello! What type of brake cleaner did you use?! Thanks in advance!
We have carpenter ants that will eat the foundation under anything and my son puts out the tins of poison just inside of our living room door and away from the cats because we have had carpenter ants in the house which are a nuisance..... Message coming from Manitoba Canada 🇨🇦.
After you spray with brake cleaner or WD40 take a torch to the hole !
Pyrethrens are what we used to use around the dairy barn when I was a kid. I don't remember how long the stuff lasted, but we used it because it was organic. I can still smell it in my mind.
The natural stuff, Pyrethrens IIRC only last about a month. The man-made derivative Permethrin will usually last 2 months outside, a little longer inside. If you ever had them, then you need to get on it early in the Spring, and then every 2 months after until later in the summer.
I personally haven't had any return in the Fall, however could just be I'm lucky.
I can smell it in the dairy barn too!😅
I quit killing the bees, I keep up with painting/staining I now realize thier exsistance is very important. more than politicians
That’s not saying much.
I have had problems with carpenter bees. The value of my home is more important to me than the bees.
Why? Cant they live in my old trees rather than my new roof in my garage?
not those carpenter bees,,,those are destructive. I will defend a bumble bee all day long, honey bee, same thing , but those carpenter bees can really damage property .
Those bees will eat through the paint to get to wood.
I built a tiny little wood shop complete with a bee-sized table saw, router and belt sander. They prefer the shop way more than the bottom of my deck.
I am battling them now. I have filled so many holes and am now painting the porch. They don't like the painted wood, nor the minwax wood filler. I also have three bee traps on the porch--that helps a lot.
Filling holes is a mistake. Been there done that mistake. They’ll bore out somewhere else and really make a mess.
@@marksieber4626 I think it depends on where you catch them in their cycle. If the chamber has eggs in it your going to have problems. this is where sealing the hole after treating it with the jelly indicated in these comments might come in handy.
I've used a foaming spray which has a thin red tube on it. if there's an adult in there, it will stagger out and croak... then you spray a bit more in and plug it. I plugged about 30 to 40 holes last year and of that probably 5 or 6 managed to burrow back out. I will now also insert the vaseline + permethrin in these holes and then seal them - the syringe is a good idea so that the stuff can be put deeper in the hole so it won't interfere with adhesion.
I liked the guy who climbs up there after dark and stealth applies Rock Hard putty.
Go to a farm store. They carry a much larger container. The initial output is higher but if your going to be using it often it will end up being less expensive in the long term.
Thanks a million! I’ve been battling these annoying destructive pest. With pleasure I’m purchasing permethrin today!
Found this yesterday, went to tractor supply this morning and sprayed it at around 9am. Just went to check and there are dead and squirming carpenter bees all over the place. I’ve been battling these flying demons for years, and this was the answer the whole time! I can’t thank you enough!
And the name of this is . . . . . .
@@kathrynmiller9622 Watch the video, please. Permethrin 10%.
Permethrin
Awesome!! I already have some downstairs in my grow room... Never even thought of it!!! Im on my way down there to get it now
You should never kill bees. They are pollinators. With out them we won’t have food from plants and trees. Causing a world wide famine.
If you miss them with a tennis racket they get smart. Then I break out the rat shot 22.
Carpenter bee's they will eat your wood up a little bit at time until one day you need to replace your floor joust.
I disagree, they come back with an attitude.
I use a racquetball racquet and have had much more success than I did with a tennis racquet.
Rat shot?
Buggy whip. It's fun
Warm a couple of big heaping table spoonfuls of Vaseline in the microwave and stir in a couple of table spoons of your permethrin and then draw it up in some large syringes while it is still liquefied. The ratio is really not important. Shove a short piece of tubing over the end of the syringe so you can apply the mixture just inside the holes, about 1/4 inch or so. Deposit a dab about the size of a pea in each hole you find. As you start down the length of your deck you will hear them falling on the ground behind you. The Vaseline will hold the permethrin and any other bees that try to go in will disturb the Vaseline and get some on them. Works great. I use a throw away plastic container that food came in and you can use a plastic spoon so you can throw everything away when your done. Again proportions are not important, just mix some up with some Vaseline, guess how many pea size dabs you'll need and add some permethrin. If you see a bee going in and out of a hole still alive you missed that hole. It keeps in the syringe so its easy to put the syringe in a zip lock bag and you'll have some for any holes you missed. That bottle you sprayed is a lifetime supply doing it this way. Any babies that hatch will be killed as well.
Thank-you!
@@kaseylv922 I said add tablespoons of Permethrin, I should have said a tea spoon or 2. That stuff is strong so it doesn't take much.
Look it up on Google it is very dangerous to use permethrin here are too many side effects
Menards sells spray cans of Carpenter Bee killer with one of those long red applicator tubes. It foams when applied directly into the holes. I had a bunch of them making nesting holes in the cedar log siding for my second story and so I zapped a squirt into every hole I could locate * you can spot them as they leave a yellow powder like trail coming from the bottom of the holes". As I was working my way along the siding I could hear :plop plop" sounds coming from the area I had treated. Dozens of them were falling out of the holes and rolling down the shingled roof.) This stuff is cheap and effective but I also like your method, Thanks.
Satisfying
We play carpenter bee tennis too! Sometimes I can get two with one swat. But, let me tell you, woodpeckers eat the eggs. You think carpenter bees drill holes? You haven't seen anything until you see the holes woodpeckers create to get at the bee eggs.
The woodpeckers aren't going for the wood bore bee larvae. They are most likely going for insects that are utilizing the holes drilled by the wood borer bee.
The woodpeckers caused hundreds of dollars damage to porch while at work in one day.ripped 2x10 to shreds
I use a 4x4x6 wood and a pint jar to make a trap for the ones flying around. Have caught over 4 dozen so far. ill try the promethium to get the gueenes
8:10 ns
I saw it on my new carport bad.
@@donnywt3195Woodpeckers will also peck on glass! I had one waking me up every morning pecking on bedroom window destroying the reflective coating. Then pooping all down it.I resorted to hanging sunshade fabric & he finally went to nearest tree.
I used a shotgun till my shoulder got too sore. Then I switched to dynamite. Simply drill the hole out slightly larger than the diameter of the stick of dynamite. Then, light the fuse, shove it in as deep as it will go and hide behind the nearest tree. Guaranteed to stop the bees from drilling.
My dog used to hunt them. They lived in our hot tub and they loved a certain bush in our front yard and she’d eat them. She loved those kind of bees for whatever reason and she knew the difference between those and any other.
I thought all this time my dog Wendy was the only dog that eats these things,actually I have 2 dogs and only one eats them!
I bet it doesn't take many " bad " bees to learn to bee chosey. LOL
This stuff really works! And according to the manufacturer’s warnings, it is safe for all vertebrates. We treat twice in the spring, depending upon rain, about three weeks apart. The females take one bite of treated wood, and they become paralyzed and then drop dead. And to those who confuse carpenter bees with bumblebees, carpenter bees are considered pests, and you can legally treat them bumblebees have a yellow abdomen/tail, Carpenter bees have Black. And the non-stinging males have a white spot on their forehead
I will try this!! Those things have destroyed the eaves of our wood home. Have discovered if you stain your wood, they won't bother it. My son built a new wood deck, after staining the bees won't bother it
Very good! Now that you have the bees under control buy some chrome or polished silver X-mas ornaments and hang a few under your deck, actually anything highly reflective will work, even old CDs, the bees hate them, it confuses them and they don't feel safe to make a nest an will look elsewhere.
you mentioned that you sprayed a wasp nest, did the wasps come back and build another nest? And have you had any rain that could affect your treatment? just wondering if I can do the same thing here in the Louisville, KY area.
We used that on our deck and the bees are either dying or avoiding my porch! It will work.
To contradict some of the comments below, painting the wood has no effect. My home has three very large pressure-treated, covered decks/porches. All of the wood is painted white. The carpenter bees drill just has many holes in my white-painted wood as they do in my neighbors non-painted decks. Our previous home had all cedar siding, trim, facia and soffits. It was stained/painted with Olympic Cedar Natural Tone; The carpenter bees destroyed the siding.
Paint your wood with a mixture of oil based paint and pine based turpentine. The bees will die shortly after boring into it. Did you ever see a carpenter bee hole in a pine tree? Neither have I.
@@timhallas4275 I agree that I have never seen a carpenter bee hole in a pine tree, but I have lost many pine trees to pine-bore beetles; I suppose the beetles are more durable than the bees...In all honesty, two of my homes were on densely wooded properties, and I have never see a carpenter bee hole in my maple trees, cedar trees, oak trees, holly trees, gum trees, dogwood trees, Japanese maple trees, elm trees, blue spruce trees, cedar trees, cypress trees nor any other tree. I only have them drilling holes in my cedar-siding homes, pressure treated porches, wood barns, fences, out-buildings, and shops.... Two years ago it cost $18,000 to have my house painted. (Hardi-plank, alum/vinyl trim and 3 large pressure- treated covered porches). Re-painting the wood part, at this time, with oil based paint + pine based turpentine, or with anything else for that matter, is not an option.... Do you have any suggestions on how to stop the wood-peckers from destroying the Hardi-plank cementous siding?
@@andrewfyakim525 I had a problem with woodpeckers constantly going after the bee tunnels in my cedar house. They would not be frightened off by loud noise or water hose spray for more than a few moments. I bought a hanging reflective bird scare device last summer and have not heard another one drilling on my house since! Search for owl shaped bird scare device. Not expensive and you get several to put together. A bit fiddly to put together but I’ve left them hanging up in all weather and still working great.
@@andrewfyakim52512 gauge!
Carpenter bees will not attack wood where they cannot detect the grain. We had a bad carpenter bee problem so after much research we got a very heavy solid stain (which was more like a heavy white tar). You can get these at Home Depot or Lowe's. Zero bee holes on the painted wood. They're still around, everywhere in fact which is why this chemical is interesting as a repellant, but they do not bore into the structure anymore because they cannot detect that it is wood. Damage issue fixed. Hopefully this chemical will repel them as well.
I had carpenter bees drilling holes in my rental cabin. I would set the ladder during the day then climb up to the hole after dark and entomb them while repairing the hole with Durhams Rock Hard. It killed them as they ran out of gas before they could ever drill their way out and repaired the hole simultaneously.
Thanks for the tip. Do you have any plans to paint or stain your deck???
If you go to a feed store or Rural King, maybe Tractor Supply.... they sell it in big jugs. People spray it on their livestock or horses to keep flys away. You can also spray it on clothing to keep ticks and skeeters off, on tents to keep bugs away.... I love the stuff
I mix a little in with my protein shakes
I had problems with woodpeckers feeding on the carpenter bee grubs also! Pollinators or not I cannot afford to have them or the birds destroying my home. Thanks!
5 years ago I installed a Casco Cedar and Aluminum Roof Gazebo. This spring I had carpenter bees drilling holes into the hollow cedar support corner post and the ceiling support. I sprayed it with what I had on hand (Home Defense Spray) then sealed the holes with spray foam and plastic wood. The bees hung around for a few days and then left the area (I hope).
Sounds expensive. Permethrin is cheap, along with several gallons of water and a pump sprayer you should do a total spray/drench some night. That'll keep them away for 6-8 weeks, along with all sorts of other insects. Then either keep an eye out for them or re-spray and save yourself some repair work.
Our extension office said fill the holes with caulking to keep them from being able to re inhabit the holes and keeps the babies from getting out and growing once they hatch.
Much appreciated for the info. Just ordered some to deal with carpenter bees on a deck of a house I just purchased and the professional pest control treatment did nothing for .. fingers crossed that this works
I bought Bee houses for them. I hung them near where the made previous homes in my deck, and covered the holes. Worked like a charm, and I didn't have to kill off any pollinators!
The paper bag/fake hornets nest did nothing. Carpenter bees chase off wasps and hornets. Win win.
After the bees have gone, you have to fill the holes with caulk. It also helps if you keep the wood structure clean (powerwashed) and frequently stained or painted. This will deter the bees...
Caulk, lol
I had carpenter bees destroy my painted soffits and fascia. The paint was old and in need of being repainted, but they still drilled through. I had the soffits and fascia replaced, the house painted and the porches stained. They're still getting into the stained porch, but so far they have not messed with the house. I'm building my next house with ICFs and using metal or plastic for any trim pieces.
I fill the holes with Liquid Nails, seen em eat right thru latex caulking.
I painted my mailbox post and they still drilled several holes in it. 😢
I had a little steel wool to their entrance before caulking it over
When I heard the dogs ears flapping I looked for my dogs, then I see the boxers. Yup, same floppy ear sounds with Boxers! Thanks for the heads up!
Owned a farm for many years in NJ and, yes, we have carpenter bees. They are very destructive to the wood structures, albeit, they are pollinators....
My trick was similar to the posters approach. THE KEY is to spray your wood structures prior to them showing up, which was typically Spring in NJ. Prior is key! Then they don't make any boring nests. If they do bore into the wood, spray a bit of bug spray into the hole, pack it with steel wool and then plug the hole with a small dowel rod. A racket ball racket works better than a tennis racket. Nip it in the butt and you should be good for the rest of the year. They also make cheap traps that you can buy on the internet. Leave the dead bees in the trap, this apparently attracts other carpenter bees. Protect your structures and let the bees go live in the woods.
Spray the wood. Don't spray in the holes. Once the bees are gone fill the holes. The bees are very important to keep.
I am stating the same thing as some other commenters. Now that you've knocked down the majority of your carpenter bees, it is a good idea to get some caulk or external wood putty and fill in as many of the holes as you can. This will slow the re-infestation and give you time to retreat before more eggs are laid. Keep in mind that carpenter bees usually are active in the Spring. This is when the female are laying. So if you prep your deck (filling in all the holes. in late Summer, early Fall and then spray your deck as soon as you get past freezing weather, you should be in good shape.
I would also suggest you hang a few traps before Winter ends. These will capture the females looking for nesting. No females, no males buzzing around. You can make your own traps pretty easily with Juice bottles and a piece of untreated 4x4. I use the bigger bottles (50oz I think). I like the ones with the bigger plastic caps (like Simply Orange) because the bigger caps allow you to drill a hole and still have a lot of room to fasten the cap to your 4x4. Then I can just unscrew the bottle from the cap. You can find plenty of video on UA-cam on how to make these. Make sure you always put some water mixed with dish soap in the bottles.
It's called wood filler. Not putty.
@@theoryofpersonality1420, Actually both are correct. Wood "putty' is typically denser and used either inside or out. Wood 'filler' is typically used on interior items like tables, trim, base, flooring, etc...
@@theoryofpersonality1420 Thanks for trying to correct me. I've only been doing this kind of work all my life. So even though you are wrong. I thank you for trying to correct me. Just an fyi.. filler is made with wood by products and is usually used for interior work, painter putty or wood putty is usually made with very small plastics and a binder and is usually better for exterior use.
3/8" wooden dowel-rod fills holes perfectly in my experience. Just cut-to-flush and seal.
@@theoryofpersonality1420 wood filler is also known as putty.
Thanks for the tip. They do make a lot of damage and I’m not sure if you can see all the damage that they do. But they are relentless.
I had them attacking logs on a garage. Research says to keep them stained. Bees can't stand the smell. Last year I bought a product at Lowe's put it in a sprayer and haphazardly streamed the stuff over the walls not covering the entire wall. Got after them early in the season and they were gone. So this product works. The diff is I used it to repel and it worked extremely well.
I really like carpenter bees. I have a concrete deck so I do not see them often. Built an open loggia where they hang out now. Like yellow jackets they let you know when you are in 'their' territory. I let them buzz around, they eventually figure out I am not trying to eat 'their' wood. Never had one bite or sting me (not even sure if they sting). Ticks on the other hand get killed instantly.
Me and my husband was cutting a tree and the female carpenter bees do sting and it hurts so bad smh 😂
All I did to get rid of mine was fill in all the holes with "outdoor" expansion foam. As soon as I see them.
We have about a half dozen trap houses on our deck. They work very well. But I would like to get rid of them. I will give this a try. Thanks for the tip.
super helpful info! just what i was looking for. thanks for posting!
I had one in the shed roof off my studio porch. I took a sharpie and made about 30 black dots the same size as its hole and the bee could not figure out which was his hole. He eventually gave up and went elsewhere. I haven’t found his newest location.
😂
Hilarious!😂
I used Cyper TC on an old hunting camp house that had a really bad carpenter bee problem. The bees disappeared for a couple years. I think the chemicals break down after a time because the bees later returned and I had to spray again. It sure knocks them when they try to bore. I don't know if that product is animal safe.
will this work on yellow jackets and can I use it for an outdoor swing set?
A gentlemen from Alabama or Mississippi used to sell carpenter bee "butter" - a mixture of mostly petroleum jelly (Vaseline) and permithrin in a plunger/injector. Think he forced to stop selling due to lack of permitting (specifically a compound with permethrin). It did work though as the jelly stuck to the bees inside the holes.
The guy was from Alabama. I used his product for years. I believe that he sold his idea to someone with a license. The permethrin would last for a year when mixed with the petroleum jelly.
For those folks that are opposed to killing the bee's. Hang flags, the light weight, cheap flags, the brighter the colors, the better from the rafters or floor joists. The movement of the flags in the breeze will deter the bees from calling your pole barn and or deck home.
I looked up his patent application years ago when I first saw his product. Heat up 4 parts petroleum jelly until it liquifies, stir in 1 part 10% permethrin and you'll end up with a 2% permethrin gel once it cools off. I use 12cc/48cc so I can draw into a 60cc syringe. A pea-sized dab inside the holes will get rid of them and it will last for a couple of seasons, actually (permethrin is designed to degrade in sunlight, if it's up in a hole it takes a LONG time to degrade). I use Vaseline because I've found that cheap petroleum jellies tend to get runny when the ambient temps are in the 80's and up...
@@dkindig how do you keep the permethrin from degrading if you mix up 60ccs of this stuff and still have most of a syringe left over?
also, what's the best way to heat up the Vaseline so you can mix and pour?
@@chuckhortler2814 Sunlight degrades permethrin so keep it in the dark. You'll notice that the permethrin comes in a dark opaque container. I use an old hot-plate and a junk saucepan to heat the mixture up, just keep them separate from your normal cooking stuff (I keep them in a shed with my other herbicides/pesticides). Do the heating outside so that you don't expose yourself to a concentration of the vapors. Once it's liquid and mixed, just draw the mixture up into the syringe before it cools back down.
@@dkindig like the Permethrin bottle in the video, mine is a very thick milk-jug like plastic which is white but only slightly opaque (thus my question). I guess I'll store it in a black plastic bag or a tin of some kind.
Thanks for the tips.
That’s a hell of a nice deck. My wife and I built a pergola several years back and we are having the same issue. Definitely going to try this out. Thank you for the video 👍👍
This stuff will work very good. You will see the bees dwindle down after a few days after spraying. I have used it for several years now and see a big difference in numbers of bees. 6:43
This is a good suggestion.Thanks for the video. I battled them for years, but settled on the following method. 1. prepare a mixture of 50% Sevin dust and 50% Orthene. Get a plunge duster with a thin tip that will fit into the holes. Wear a Tyvek suit safety goggles and dust mask. Load your duster, go to each hole, active and inactive and spay dust into the holes. After a while the bees come out and fly crazily around until they die. Don't seal the holes. My experience is that carpenter bees will come back to the existing holes over and over. Every year if a bee crawls into the hole that was spayed, they are coated with the remaining dust and die. This has reduced my carpenter bee population tremendously.
I will make a suggestion if you are interested What I did with our deck on our house is I put sheet metal underneath of it from the side of the house out all the way down the deck underneath and it makes it so that anything you park underneath the deck doesn't get wet like lawn mowers quads etc and it works really well it's been up for about 40 years and now it's gonna need to be replaced because it rotted out on the ends but that's OK it works really well and it keeps everything dry underneath just a suggestion God-bless thank you for all the info they are a pain in the neck and yes it is a lot of fun Is to wack those b******* with a tennis rocket.
My father said that when you fill the holes with wood filler, you should also stuff some steel wool in the hole first. If the bees come back and chew through the wood filler, once they hit the steel wall, they will stop chewing. You should also take a skewer and push it all the way down inside the hole, to destroy any larvae that are in there.
Thank you. Almost gave up on filling those holes back up every year. Gonna beat them this year .
Plastic tie wraps are flexible and at least impede their entrance/exit.
Steel wool worked good for me. No longer burrowing into the porch walls. Just eating the rest of the house! At least no sawdust, yellow stuff, all over the furniture. I use a butterfly net, and catch about a hundred, few less to feed the the babies.
@@lindahayes7044 thank you Linda I have hundreds of zip ties in after the carpenter bee butter , then the Brillo and seal the holes again . My pergola is from a master carpenter in the 1930’s who salvaged it from a Rockefeller’s ship mast. I fear they e hollowed it out . We’ve been battling the bees for 20 years. I’d like to preserve it I’ll make some faux wasp nests too.
I don't even use wood filler. I just fill it with steel wool and it has worked for me
Thanks for the video! Although I know they don't sting, they definitely terrorize with the dive bombing within a couple inches of the face. I also am unable to enjoy sitting out on the deck. How long did this end up lasting?
It lasted the whole summer after I sprayed, so at least a few months. I’m about to do it again this year. Haven’t seen any yet but I want to get ahead of them.
Female do sting but you have to provoke them pretty good before they sting
@@adamj8293 k
@@adamj8293 don't get permithrin on your skin.
Males don't have stingers but the females do and they can sting.
Bonus is this stuff is the best for tick spray too, we use it on our hunting clothes. Thanks for the tip, I have a cedar home so been battling these guys for years. I had pretty much given up.
Great news, permethrin also kills ticks, chiggers and mosquitos. Glad it worked for you. Many bowhunters treat their clothing to keep the nasties away while crawling through brush.
As a painter,I’ve had experiences with carpenter bees while painting/staining decks and they bother you all day. I think I’ll try this treatment next time
Haha sometimes when they don't make my head spin and I can focus on one , a good swing in the air whacks one 😂
You can add permethrin into your stain
@@georgesch4928 Thanks for the info friend.Getting too old to throw ladders so hopefully I won’t need it
there's nothing so satisfying as a really light, strong badminton racket to take a few of them out.
They are bullies. They try to intimidate me when i mow the lawn
I heard that spraying your wood with Borax - like 20 Mule Team Borax - will not kill the bees but make them not want to be around it.
I was doing yard next to my house were the carpenter bees are. I've tried swatting them with a rake, doesn't work ! Tried swatting with a tennis racket, that sort of works.
So I had my Dewalt Brushless weed trimmer ... and that worked ! Went after them, and cut them in half ! Probably has something to do with RPM of trimmer ! In half !
What is the best time of day to spray?
Mix up a jar of minced garlic and water and spray that. It will stink for a few days but the bees will split. Easy peasy.
ty ty will try that out!
so after seeing your video I bought this off amazon. I used 1/2 a gallon of water & I put in about 4 oz of the permethrin , but it had no effect on the bees, so then I added about 2 more oz with just a little bit more water & I sprayed the holes in my neighbors garage trim & the bees fell out of the holes onto the ground and could barely move . Then I went to my porch & sprayed underneath the railings where they kept flying up to to dig in . I had 2 bees fall down & they died .
I also went to the back of my garage & the top of the trim in the back there were big holes that they cut into . I sprayed the holes & the bees fell out , one hole there were 4 bees . The next day I went to try and fill the holes & the bees were still going into the holes so I guess the spray doesn't keep them from going back to the wood where they have drilled into .
I am wondering how you mixed your solution with water & how long did the bees stay away ?
Other commenters here describe injecting a pyrethrum and Vaseline mixture into the holes being very effective since the Vaseline is very persistent and sticky and continues to kill and bee it comes into contact with.
I read that a good glossy paint or stain works. What about creosote?
I'm wondering if there's a big difference in pressure treated lumber. I have a significant amount of lumber for a deck and never had much problems with the bees.
I use dawn dishwashing liquid and water in a spray bottle..... works amazing.
Racquet ball Racquet is fun also.
Badminton rackets work great too if you can find one.
My son and I have been getting them with those electrified swatters. It doesn't kill them but it stuns them silly then we stomp them.
I used that too, It works great ,you just need the right amount of Dawn and water
@@LisaSmith-cv9md I have the electrified fly swatter but it just stuns them. It works on wasps and spiders really good.
I was just going to say a tennis racket works great..knocks them apart
We created alternative homes for them in the woods and timber oiled our deck and they've never returned. The pesticides only worked temporarily. They are very friendly and love having them near us but not destroying our deck.
How often do you have to timber oil your deck?
@@LemonDropYum I timber oil every three years but it's region dependent. Initially used exterior latex paint but it was expensive, high maintenance and only moderately effective against reinfestation. The oil was very effective, low maintenance and the natural wood look was much more appealing
@@fl3shr0t My porch is already painted white. I don't know if there's any fix.
@@LemonDropYum Unfortunately you will have to kill some of them or they will destroy your porch. Step 1: Find alternative, nearby housing for them or traps (otherwise probably will come back). Hanging cheap pinewood boards or store bought houses will work. Step 2: Inject the bee holes with copious insecticide (the expanding foam type worked best for me). Their labyrinth can be extensive. Step 3: Fill the holes with copious wood filler. Step 4: Repaint
Very helpful. Thanks for sharing!
I've used the powder for other bugs and it worked great.
You can use this on your clothes for ticks also. It’s supposed to last through about 8 washings. I’ve had good luck with it.
We have terrible carpenter bees in our old barn garage thing, it's super old. Anyone who complains that they are pollinators hasn't had dozens and dozens flying around their yard and home. They are such a nuisance!
I've been using enforcer duel action but it's been a battle. I might try this next time. Thanks for sharing.
Great video. Just bought some. Thank you
Don't spray it if you have cats... highly toxic to them. Safe for dogs though. Just want to put that out there and thanks for the video. 🤜
What should i use if i have a cat and 1 year old
@@brittanylarson7484 I use a product called Cyzmic CS. Works well and It's safe, just keep kiddos and pets off it until it's dry.
Carpenter bees they early sting
@@debbiewallace2498 Yep, the possibility of stinging takes a back seat to the structural damage.
Thanks for the heads up.
Build a decoy carpenter bee nest box or trap, or wood pile nearby. Poisoning pollinators is generally frowned upon. Linseed oil or paint the deck can generally repel them now that you've killed the larvae/nests.
haint blue paint works too.
@@friskydingo2961 old farmers trick is to simply paint it blue. : )
I used that stuff in Texas for scorpions and sand fleas in the yard. I think it's good for keeping flies off horses too.
We've battled carpenter bees at our house for about a decade now, spring after spring. At first it was general insecticide up into the holes and plugging with 0000 steel wool (bees can't chew through it) and then it was spraying FenvaStar (our local pest control guy suggested it) and that worked on killing them but not deterring them.
Then we started getting the traps with the little plastic jar on the bottom where they would get trapped and those worked great but didn't necessarily attract the bees and they stay alive in the traps for over a month sometimes.
Then we got more traps and added the carpenter bee attractant and that produced more bees in the traps and less flying around our deck but still not perfect as some would still be going up in the deck and making new holes if I plugged the existing ones.
The traps are expensive but they work and I've ordered some with larger mason jar traps to hopefully hold more this time around and I'm going to try the permethrin to hopefully ward them off and rely on the traps/attractant to actually kill them.
The active ingredient is called chrysanthemate. It's the same ingredients that Off uses in their mosquito repellent coils and lamp. And yes it comes from chrysanthemums and it works.
Off uses Picardin and/or DEET, not chrysanthemate.
@@JT_70 I am reading from the front of the box that the Off coils come in. These are the ones that come with a ceramic pot and you burn them. The front of the Box reads active ingredient chrysanthemate 0.15% other ingredients 99.85 percent.
@@tomearnest198 The Off sprays don’t contain that chemical. I haven’t even seen the pots in the stores around here.
@@JT_70 well the coils use a terracotta pot it's about 6 inch diameter and 2 inches high with a little lid that goes on the top. The other kind they have that users chrysanthamate is shaped more like a carriage lamp and you light a small candle at the bottom and hang about a 1 by 3 inch strip of impregnated I guess cardboard above it. The lamps have a much higher percentage of chrysanthemate then the coil. I'll sit outside all night in the summer reading. They don't cover real large area so I just light off whichever one I'm using and slide it under my chair. I've been using both over 12 years and they work fine.
once you clear them from the holes they drilled, fill the hole with caulk. other carpenter bees will find their former homes if you don't... they release pheromones all around the area so they can find their way back home. other bees looking for a home will find the holes and move a new colony right in.
HI Did they come back? How often you have to spray?
Thank you so much for sharing. I will order this product and try it.
Hang two paper bags up under your deck inflated with other stuff like bags and twist and the tops with strings and hang. The bags will look like hornets nest and they will stay away from them.
Works great for me.
Thanks, that is definitely more cost effective as permethrin weakens in humidity.
This did NOT work for me. I was so excited and tried it and they wasn't bothered by it at all. After watching this video I'm going to try this.
@@dazednconfused5344 didn’t work for me
We did the paper bags and it’s working. Not seeing them anymore.
I tried it and they were very cautious about coming on the porch for a few days, then I think they figured it out and it was back to business as usual😂
Thank You so much for this! Just applied it to my house and hoping for their exit. Would love to see a follow up to this video for a year later what happened
Man great tip appreciate it. Also your house and yard is awesome. 👍
They are so gentle and sweet
You may want to put up several carpenter bee traps for the occasional unwanted visitor.
I take it these can be found at a hardware store? I sure need one.
I have 2 traps and each one catches about 15-20 bees the first week they start coming out. You have to find the right spot to put them so if your trap isn't catching any just move it . Mine seem to do best mounted to an outside edge post about 8" below the joist.
@@rydfree All true.
Just don’t mount them where you sit on your deck and stare at them.
When trapped they paw the inside of the jar in a most pathetic way.
But they say don’t empty it because the trapped bees attract other bees.
The first year we caught none. But once they started we caught them a pint jar at a time! Dead bees smell revolting!
Now we catch one or two per season. Scouts I think.
Yes, it is a great product. I love it.. I use it every year. I have a wooden privacy fence all the way around my property. So my fence line became a would be village. A good tip is to try to seal the holes with a wood putty. He wants that putty dry. I just went back over and nested those areas again. It works just as good on yellow jackets, hornets, etc.. I did go around and pick up the dead bodies and misted the ground with water just to prevent birds and squirrels from eating the dead bees.
I bought the stuff and applied it a couple of days ago. Haven't seen any bees, but it's been rainy and a bit cool. Will edit if they're still here.
I have heard people say wind chimes can help keep them away, something about the constant sound waves annoys them. I have about 20 of them living in an old shed I have at the back of my property. It's far enough away that I just let them be, they are beneficial and pretty much harmless, but they do freak people out a lot.
i wish i knew about this when i had a wooden shed. Great job and congrats !!
They are indeed capable of stinging. I had one pop me twice in one second. I used the exact product that you used prior to having ever seen your video. It had zero effect on the bees as far as preventing future boring. It will kill the bees that are currently in the burrow. But they will soon be back. They do not ingest the wood when they bore, so poisons don’t work in that manner. That’s my experience at least.
Try liquid seven, to spray your deck, it works!
Did you have to treat again last year? How about this year?
Did you just spray inside the holes, or spray the underside of the whole deck to discourage new drilling?
I need help bad they are tearing up my front window wood😡😡😡😡😞😞😞