How can you get rid of Carpenter Bees?
Carpenter Bees are great to have in the garden, pollinating flowers of fruit and veg. However, they are not so wanted when they start digging holes in your home.
These are some methods of controlling or getting rid of carpenter bees around your home, along with some recommended traps.
Carpenter Bee Control
There are lethal and non-lethal ways to get rid of carpenter bees.
On the one hand, you don’t want to get rid of them altogether, because they are excellent pollinators and part of the natural environment.
They bring life and fruit to your garden and give balance to the ecosystem. Plus, who doesn’t like seeing bees around the garden, collecting pollen from the flowers?
But, on the other hand, they are destructive, and you don’t want to be constantly fixing damage caused by carpenter bees.
You either need to provide alternative housing for them, discourage them from your property altogether, or, unfortunately, kill them.
Best Way To Get Rid Of Carpenter Bees
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I’m sure most people would prefer to use natural methods to remove carpenter bees wherever possible. But unfortunately, sometimes lethal methods are required.
I’m sure you’ve heard of those who have tried everything to get rid of them, but nothing works other than termination with sprays or traps!
It is unfortunate, because, as we’ve already said, they play an important part in the garden ecosystem.
We highly recommend trying natural bee control methods first (listed next), prior to the harsher eradication methods listed further below.
How To Get Rid Of Carpenter Bees Naturally
Here are some methods to get rid of carpenter bees without killing them.
Many of these methods are the same as how to get rid of sweat bees.
Protect And Maintain Your House
Ideally, you want to protect your house before the bees come looking for a home.
This requires painting the siding of your house and not allowing the paint to flake off. The bees will avoid chewing through paint wherever possible.
Also, it will prevent some of them from taking up residence in the winter.
Make A Spray
Make a citrus spray and spray in and around bee holes.
Bees (and many other animals) have an aversion to citrus and will move on if assaulted in this manner. Unless you drown the bee, it will not be harmed by this process.
Provides Alternatives
Have easier alternatives for the bee.
Buy or make a bee lodge – a pre-drilled slab of wood, especially for carpenter bees. If the holes are already there, they will save their teeth and choose that.
Remove Stumps
One of the many good reasons to remove a stump is to detract carpenter bees.
While burrowing into stumps is better than burrowing into house siding, it’s still going to enable the population on your property to increase.
Carpenter bees love to lay young in old stumps that are starting to rot out and will be attracted to them.
Use Traps
Buy or build a carpenter bee trap (recommendations below).
You can make this trap lethal or non-lethal. As a non-lethal trap, once you have caught 2 or 3 bees in the trap you could let them go away from your house.
Best Carpenter Bee Traps
What is the best carpenter bee trap?
Let’s take a look at this trap, as well as some other good alternatives, to find out what option is best for your situation.
Carpenter Bees can be very destructive, and prevention is better than repairing the damage.
1. Best Bee Brothers Carpenter Bee Trap
Features:
- Easy to maintain
- Good at catching carpenter bees
- Made from durable weather-resistant products
- Designed after natural bee nesting methods
- Saves you time and money making your own bee traps
Said to be ‘the most effective and professional carpenter bee trap solution on the market,’ the Bee Brothers trap is at the top of the list as the best trap for carpenter bees.
With a 100% money-back guarantee, The Best Bee Brother’s Carpenter Bee Trap is one of the best traps of this kind on the market.
It’s affordable, it works well, and it can be a non-lethal way to catch and release carpenter bees.
The Best Bee Brothers Trap features upward-sloping holes for the bees to enter, leading to a central column within the trap.
The bees follow this route and get stuck in the container below.
They fly towards the light, and due to the angle of the holes, there is not a lot of light entering the central column.
They will only fly into the sides of the plastic container, and not escape back up the way they entered.
The Bee Brother’s trap features a pull string that allows you to empty out deceased bees, or to release them into another container to be released elsewhere.
2. Mac’s Carpenter Bee Traps
Features:
- Made to mimic carpenter bee nests
- Made in America
- Weather-resistant
- Easy to empty
- Keeps bees from burrowing in your house
- 2 units included
This set of two traps makes it a bit cheaper to set up some traps around the home.
It has a different look from the one above, and has a much smaller catchment container, meaning you will need to empty it more frequently.
If you don’t want an obvious trap in your garden, this one will blend into the background nicely.
3. Hanging Carpenter Bee Trap
Features:
- Attractive to carpenter bee nests
- Made from weather-resistant materials
- Stores many bees
- Easy maintenance
- Hangs from a chain
This style of trap is useful for catching carpenter bees, wasps, and other flying pests.
It’s available in 2 or 4 packs and is easy to install, set up, and clean. Personally, I don’t think it looks as good as the previous wood and glass traps, but this is a lot cheaper, especially if you need a few traps.
You can use things like beer or vinegar to lure carpenter bees into the trap, or you can even buy a carpenter bee trap lure which will likely be even better.
The lure is made in the US, suitable for use will all styles of trap, and doesn’t contain artificial chemicals.
How To Kill Carpenter Bees
When all else fails, you may have to kill the bees to get rid of them.
The best way to do this is to wait until the bee has entered the hole, at which time it can then be exterminated with the use of a quick-acting bug spray.
Sprays with long applicator nozzles and an expanding foam feature are best. Depending on the time of the year, these will also kill the bee larvae or eggs.
Put on a beekeeper’s veil and hat if you feel threatened by the bees.
We hope this helps you to deal with Carpenter Bees around your home.
Let us know what’s worked, and what hasn’t, in the comments below!
Check out this post on different types of ground bees to identify other types of bees that might be making a home in and around your home.
When they start a hole, I fill it with caulk.
Yes, good idea to nip it in the bud. Hopefully they get discouraged with trying to make a home in your house and go elsewhere!