Carpenter Bees
CARPENTER BEE - commonly called wood bee, black bee, fat bee, and termite bee due to their habit of nesting in wood like termites and how they look. But like the Carpenter Ant they dont eat the wood they just tunnel into it for nest building. This bee is pretty much found in the southern U.S., but can be all over. The occasional tunneling of timbers by carpenter bees should not cause alarm but of course repeated attacks in the same area could weaken it let alone the aesthetic affect.
Biology - Belong to the Order Hymenoptera. These bees are large and black, sometimes an inch long and are usually pretty round and plump looking, similar to a Bumble Bee but without the yellow.
Nests and Habits They build their nests in places like the dead heartwood of living trees, logs, house timbers and siding, poles, and almost any other wood material. Their holes are almost perfectly round; about one half inch in diameter. Their tunneling creates frass (sawdust) under the wood which is usually how they are discovered. Unlike ants and some other bees, these bees are not social insects creating large colonies. Her tunnels can extend up to a foot into the wood are divided into brood cells. Carpenter Bees are pretty docile; you have to annoy them quite a bit for them to be aggressive. Their looks just make them appear formidable. As a matter of fact, when bothered, they usually will just fly around you trying to get you to leave. They can sting, but it is very rare.
Control - If you have things such as wood siding or decking material that are normally attacked each year then prevention is the key factor. A good heavy coating of paint is one of the most effective preventive treatments. If that is not desirable then you can use a residual liquid insecticide such as Onslaught, Talstar Pro, Demand CS, Suspend SC, Demon WP, and Cynoff WP. All are excellent with long residual activity and should work for weeks depending on conditions such as rainfall, temperature, etc. Just spray the surface area of what is normally attacked or any current holes and if they try to tunnel in or enter and exit they will die. If you currently have active bees trying to make nests then you can also use an insecticidal dust such as DeltaDust and dust the tunnel or a residual aerosol like Cy-Kick, Invader HPX, or D-Force HPX and spray it into the nest before sealing it up with putty. If you use a chemical inside a nest then leave it open for about 24 hours to make sure you kill any returning adult. Always remember to read all chemical labeling before using.
Geographic Location(s): Nationwide.
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