I have a serious carpenter bee infestation in our pump house. It seems to be limited to the door jam and some non structural trim. Can I just remove and replace the problem parts? I want to put in a new door. The bees have been dormant for the last two months as winter approaches. Will I stir them up if I try to demo the offending parts of the pump house, or can I just put on long sleeves and pants and go at it with a hammer?
If you read our CARPENTER BEE CONTROL ARTICLE, you’ll learn this bee likes to nest in wood. Once nests are established, the targeted area will attract bees from year to year indefinitely. The only way you’ll be able to stop this will be to completely seal, paint and possibly even cover the structure with vinyl or some other non wood material. As our video demonstrates, they’ll regularly chew through even painted surfaces if whats underneath is worth it for them to reach for nesting.
Additionally you’ll learn from the article that existing nests will harbor both adults and developing eggs. That means if this pump house truly has a “serious” infestation, are you sure you’ll be able to weed out all the nests when you do the repair work? Here’s why I ask. Even if you do get rid of all the nests, there is a good chance (75%+) that new bees will try to use the structure for new nests. This is because the scent left behind from other bees will naturally alert new bees to the pump house as being a good place to drill and live. But if you miss even one nest, there is a 100% chance of more drilling and more nesting. My point here is don’t go to all this demo and repair just because you want to “weed” out carpenter bee nests. This approach of carpenter bee control won’t work. Fix the damage if you feel it needs to be repaired by ripping it out and replacing the damaged wood. But since doing this won’t stop them from returning next season, keep in mind you’ll probably have to spray with the CYPERMETHRIN over the new wood anyway to prevent new bees from moving in.
Oh, and yeah, there is always a chance of getting stung from these guys but it’s not a major concern if they’re somewhat dormant and huddled up due to cooling temps. Thick clothing with little to no exposed skin areas should keep you sting free while working but pay attention; I wouldn’t be surprise if it turned out you had more than just some carpenter bee nests in this pump house!
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Carpenter Bee Control Article: www.carpenterbees.com
Cypermethrin: www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/viper-cypermethrin
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