I live in East Tawas MI, last year I had new windows put in last year and then I would have what appeared to be
carpenter bees showing up in my sunroom, I would have to let them out the window, I can never see
where they are coming from but every day I would have at least one show up.
I did spray the deck, however I do not know where the nest is and it would be virtually impossible to
see under the deck. I am wondering what I can do now as I do not want these in the house.
Should I go ahead and spray a couple of times, if I could plug the hole where they are getting into the
house that would be ideal.
Any suggestions or ideas appreciated.
If you take some time to review our online article on CARPENTER BEE CONTROL, you’ll learn that each spring the developing young will start emerging from nests which were active the preceding year. If the nest entrance/exit holes were plugged up somehow or now are blocked and no longer usable, the emerging bees will find alternative pathways to get out and go about their business as they do each spring. I suspect this could be happening in your sunroom based on the limited information you’ve provided.
Unfortunately, stopping the bees will be difficult without knowing their pathways. I have seen two common scenarios that seem to happen a lot with such problems: 1) The old holes were plugged during a paint job/construction project and the exiting bees are drilling new pathways out of their old nests or 2) the bees are able to exit their old nests but cannot get to “free air pathways” as they are now trapped in some wall or ceiling void. After following what they either sense or see as a way “out”, they’re actually entering your home and not the outside air space.
The scenarios listed above are quite common. I’ve dealt with hundreds of such problems and really there is no easy fix. Leaving the windows open generally isn’t practical but if you’re able to contain them in the sunroom during the day and then let them out all at once when you know there are 1 or more active in the room, this could be a temporary solution. But as far as treating is concerned; just what is it you feel you can treat? Without knowing the hole location they’re using you would effectively be aiming blindly with any application and this is not a “smart” way to do any kind of pest control.
In summary I would say to wait it out. Most carpenter bee nests will only consist of 3-9 bees. With any luck, they’ll all emerge in the next 1-3 weeks as spring develops and it warms up. The real key will be to prevent future nesting. This can be done using the CYPERMETHRIN we have listed in the article. And if you discover some live active holes that are either old or new, treat them with the DRIONE and then plug them up. This will shut them down for sure and prevent any such pattern next spring.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page259.html
www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page256.html
jonathan