do carpenter bee’s or bumble bee’s spray feces? We have what look like big carpenter bee’s that come back every year and make holes up near our roof on our house. There’s also sprayed (what looks like feces) all over the top of our house. I heard that carpender bees do this to know where to come back every year is this true? If we get rid of the “feces” spray will they go away??
If you read through our CARPENTER BEE ARTICLE, you’ll learn these bees drill through wood to created nests. This drilling will many times create a sawdust by product which can “leak” down siding giving the appearance of droppings or bee feces. Additionally, bees which remain active in one location will definitely defecate as they drill. Feces will also be “pushed out” or disposed through exit holes. Many times this disposal process will cause the feces to trickle down the house siding which is what you’re no doubt seeing.
These droppings are not only messy, they’re damaging. Typically they’ll contain strong acids that have been known to etch glass, stain paint and mar the wood grain of exterior siding. In general they’re near impossible to wash off and often times trying to remove them will result in creating more damage so be careful. And do not clean up the mess until you solve the problem!
Regarding these bees returning each spring; females will reuse old nests from year to year and their offspring will most likely drill new nests close by. As explained in this post:
the vast majority of nests will be occupied all winter by hibernating females and males just waiting for the weather to get warm enough for them to emerge and begin their summertime activities. In most areas of the United States this will start in April-May and the activity will continue through Oct-Nov.
Getting rid of the feces will no doubt make the home look nicer but it will in no way influence the local bees nesting in your home. Females in heat are what attract male bees as well as prime nest real estate. If the siding and soffits of your home are left unprotected, the wood will release odors which are conducive to insect infestations and in doing so will many times attract wood loving pests like carpenter bees. At this point it’s imperative for you to treat existing holes with DRIONE DUST and then seal them up with the 1/2″ PLUGS featured in our article. And the best sprays you can apply to prevent new nesting will be either the CYPERMETHRIN or the INSECT REPELLENT PAINT ADDITVE/SPRAY CONCENTRATE. As you’re already seeing, failure to follow these suggestions will just allow the problem to propagate from year to year.
Here are direct links to the products and information listed above:
Carpenter Bee Article: https://www.carpenterbees.com
Drione: https://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/dust/drione-dust
Corks: https://www.bugspraycart.com/equipment/equipment-plugs/cork-12
Crusader Duster: www.bugspraycart.com/equipment/dusters/crusader
Cypermethrin: www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/viper-cypermethrin
NBS Repellent: https://www.bugspraycart.com/exempt/additive/nbs-paint-additive-16-oz
Give us a call if you still have questions.
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kathy says
i have bees in my barn. wasps, carpenter, yellow jackets. my extermanater said he can not spray anything because of the horses. any suggestions
admin says
@kathy: For starters, I suggest you start looking for another service companies. I know there are some that specialize in treating horses and other domesticated animals. As you know, many horses (and people) die annually throughout the United States due to bee and wasp stings. Yellow jackets are probably the most common problem though everyone hears about killer bees more. This is largely due to the press and media coverage. But mosquitoes, biting flies and wide range of other pests commonly found on any farm or ranch pose a hazard to horses and need to be controlled. No doubt your animals are at risk and if you can’t persuade your current service company to treat, get another one or consider doing the treatments yourself like most horse owners.
The good news is because of all the dangerous pests horses face, many companies have created products ideally suited for their need. In fact, our favorite two not only work on killing and repelling bees and wasps, but they’re labeled for use right on horses as well. This way you can effectively treat your animals to insure they don’t get stung. The most common is Permethrin. As explained on this page:
www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page312.html
You can read more about animal use on it’s label posted here:
www.bugspray.net/labels/permethrin_10_label.pdf
Permethrin is mostly used to stop those annoying biting flies but it works great on wasps and bees too. Odorless and easy to apply, many customers spray their livestock with it as well. Additionally, it’s great for use in onsite misting machines. These are all viable ways to apply Permethrin and I’d say for your situation, it would be ideal.
Another product option is a relatively new active but we are getting good results with it. You can see it on our organic site here:
www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/concentrates/eco-exempt-ic-concentrate
The ECO IC is labeled for use right on horses and cattle. Just click the label link for more details here:
www.bugspray.net/labels/eco_exempt_ic_label.pdf
I hope this helps. In this day and age, there are plenty of service companies that can handle special needs if you look a little by making a few phone calls and asking some questions. If all else fails and you can’t get someone local, do some treating yourself. With our products and technical support, there is no doubt you’ll be able to regulate this pest.