Swarming wood bees

[preston39]

For the last few springs we are getting swarms of ...what appears to be wood bees around the barns. They are about the size of a bumblebee...dark colored with light stripes around the belly... and bore holes in the timbers of the barns. ....I assume to lay eggs...treated poles...bedamned. :shock:

We find spraying spots of diesel and cylinder oil around...discourages them somewhat from hanging around...but that seems to dissipate rapidly and the process is a nuisance. I am convinced after a few thousand more holes we could find a structural effect.

Anyone with experience with them...what to do?

 

[jt]

might check with your extension agent...

good luck

jt

 

[Chuck]

Guess you're talking about what is called carpenter bees around here. I had trouble with them one place where I lived. They were only interested in the wood around the soffit on the house. They would bore a perfectly round hole all the way through. I would kill them and plug the holes,the others would just bore more. Finally stopped them by restaining the soffit wood. They did not like the fresh stain and moved on to the neighbors I guess. Old exterminator here said that was the most effective. I was afraid they would just move to the barn or something, but I never saw any more of them. If you cover the wood they are eating with fresh paint or something they will quit. Be a pain to spray all the beams in the barn with shellac or whatever, but it would last a long time. Maybe somebody else has a simpler cure. Good Luck.

 

[Farminlund]

I did a fairly long reply on the other thread:

http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 7376#87376

I will add that they usually bore into soft wood like pine, fir, redwood (even treated fence posts). My barn is oak, so no issue there, however, the house, garage, & some other out buildings are made of softwood - that's where my battle rages. Good luck - hope this helps a bit. You are not alone & being concerned is appropriate.

 

[dun]

We have a shed roof off of the shop building. I noticed wood splinters all over the floor this winter. Finally figured it out. The birds are tearing at the rafters to get the woodbees that are in their tunnels. I'm going to try spraying it with diesel and hopfully it will penetrate the wood enough to stop them

dun

 

[Crowderfarms]

Would be like building a better mouse trap.I've seen them bore where Diesel had been sprayed a few days before.Not a heck of a lot you can do,unless you had all day to spray em' when you see them,make great targets with your cap, to swat em in flight. They can really be destructive, wish there was a sure fire way to stop them.

 

[samm]

we call em wood bees, and we are thick with them at the barn in the summer...last summer i got tired of them buzzin me so i went to goodwill and bought a tennis racket for a dollar...and thats how i have thinned em out....they get harder to hit after a while cuz i guess they know whats coming. they are some tough little buggers...they have never offered to try and get after me. be sure and dont swat at no wasps though....they will come back and get ya

 

[Farminlund]

i went to goodwill and bought a tennis racket for a dollar...and thats how i have thinned em out....they get harder to hit after a while cuz i guess they know whats coming. [/b]

My wife thought me crazy when I asked to use an old tennis racket to go after the carpenter bees - works for me! Glad to see someone else had the same brain storm I did this spring. Killed like 3 dozen, even got a few in the sex act. Killing them & stopping up holes seems to have things going in the right direction.

 

[Caustic Burno]

For the last few springs we are getting swarms of ...what appears to be wood bees around the barns. They are about the size of a bumblebee...dark colored with light stripes around the belly... and bore holes in the timbers of the barns. ....I assume to lay eggs...treated poles...bedamned. :shock:

We find spraying spots of diesel and cylinder oil around...discourages them somewhat from hanging around...but that seems to dissipate rapidly and the process is a nuisance. I am convinced after a few thousand more holes we could find a structural effect.

Anyone with experience with them...what to do?

Plug the holes with moth balls also hang some coffee cans in the barn with moth balls. I have also heard they don't like the Downy fabic sheets dont know about that one.

 

[Salicylic]

Plug the holes with moth balls also hang some coffee cans in the barn with moth balls. I have also heard they don't like the Downy fabic sheets dont know about that one.

Don't pretend that you no nothing about Downy fabric sheets. You don't want people here to know you are the one doing the laundry.
8)

 

[skyeagle]

Got hit by them bees last year for the first time. Staining the house
did not slow them down. Took out 25 so far this year. I'd like to know
want to use I can't be running around after bees till June thats the time
thay stop last year I do spray the holes and plug them.

 

[JMHayes]

My barn has had wood/carpenter bees as long as I can remeber. Besides the flying around your head and little holes everywhere, I have found no serious damage. I keep them around b/c they fight off wasps. I found only one wasp nest in my barn and equipment sheds all last summer. Before you go chasing after them with a tennis racket or baseball bat(a little more challenging), make sure they have a white dot on their head, otherwise you will be starting a war with a bumble bee and they do STING.

 

[samm]

:lol: with a baseball bat ? :lol: man i'd still be swinging, i need the extra coverage the tennis racket gives :lol:

 

[preston39]

My barn has had wood/carpenter bees as long as I can remeber. Besides the flying around your head and little holes everywhere, I have found no serious damage. I keep them around b/c they fight off wasps. I found only one wasp nest in my barn and equipment sheds all last summer. Before you go chasing after them with a tennis racket or baseball bat(a little more challenging), make sure they have a white dot on their head, otherwise you will be starting a war with a bumble bee and they do STING.

=============
JMHayes,

These are not BB's...know them....and I stay from 'em...couple run in's with that group when bush-hogging...in the ground...covered up the tractor...glad I had a cab...could have been in trouble.

Jm, for the wasps..dirtdobbers..we have had excellent success with an open 5 gallen buck with 1 gal used cylinder oil...and 1 gallon dieel fuel hanging...oh... 8' or so high around on the inside of the barns and out buildings..especially the buildings that are generally closed. Seem to keep the wasp and DD's away. HUmmmmm...wonder why it doesn't work on these fellows?...hadn't thought of that. Maybe because these barns are generally open. Gotta explore that.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Had these bees in my dad's barn number of years ago. We used Sevin(R) which I think is "Carbaryl" (generic). "Sevin" is highly toxic to bees and fairly friendly with people (as is used in vegetable gardens) according to mfg. labels,etc.

As last resort, could burn the barn down... lol. :roll: :stop:

 

[preston39]

Had these bees in my dad's barn number of years ago. We used Sevin(R) which I think is "Carbaryl" (generic). "Sevin" is highly toxic to bees and fairly friendly with people (as is used in vegetable gardens) according to mfg. labels,etc.

As last resort, could burn the barn down... lol. :roll: :stop:

=============

LOL....then I wouldn't have a guesthouse for any of nature's little creatures. Or problems to solve 8). That would be no fun. :?:

 

[preston39]

Here's a good article on how to attack those fellows;

http://www.pestproducts.com/carpenterbe ... %20Control

 

[preston39]

I did a fairly long reply on the other thread:

http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 7376#87376

I will add that they usually bore into soft wood like pine, fir, redwood (even treated fence posts). My barn is oak, so no issue there, however, the house, garage, & some other out buildings are made of softwood - that's where my battle rages. Good luck - hope this helps a bit. You are not alone & being concerned is appropriate.

===========
Farminlund,

LOL on the "groundhogs" and "flying beavers" on the other post. Thanks for the info. There's a lot of other things I'm inclined to call them, also. But ..."be nice" would crop up.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

i went to goodwill and bought a tennis racket for a dollar...and thats how i have thinned em out....they get harder to hit after a while cuz i guess they know whats coming. [/b]

My wife thought me crazy when I asked to use an old tennis racket to go after the carpenter bees - works for me! Glad to see someone else had the same brain storm I did this spring. Killed like 3 dozen, even got a few in the sex act. Killing them & stopping up holes seems to have things going in the right direction.

WOW! If you have ever been swatted in the rear end with a dollar tennis racquet during the sex act :shock: That would get my attention- RIGHT NOW! And thin me out pretty quick, also :roll:

 

[DOC HARRIS]

My barn has had wood/carpenter bees as long as I can remeber. Besides the flying around your head and little holes everywhere, I have found no serious damage. I keep them around b/c they fight off wasps. I found only one wasp nest in my barn and equipment sheds all last summer. Before you go chasing after them with a tennis racket or baseball bat(a little more challenging), make sure they have a white dot on their head, otherwise you will be starting a war with a bumble bee and they do STING.

LIMERICK: A bee with a white dot on its head/ Went buzzin' around in my cowshed/ A dollar tennis racquet I bought/ "That'll git 'im" I thought/ and with 6 legs in the air he then dropped DEAD! ( A DOC HARRIS original)