Carpenter bees

[Greenman]

It's spring, and that means the carpenter bees are back to eat more of my patio cover and harass my wife and dog. I've had a running battle with them for a few years now. I can't beat them, but so far I've always been able to fight them to a standstill and maintain a holding action. This year they've returned with reinforcements and I'm in trouble. I used to be able to take one out with one solid whack with a fly swatter, this year they're tougher. I just hit one full swing, bounced him of the house ten feet away, and he shook it off. I nailed two or three more that same way, and all it did was piss them off. In an act of desperation, I turned to WMD and hit them with hornet spray, but that only works with a direct hit, and plenty of it.
I'd rather not be blasting chemicals all over my back yard, anyone know of a natural deterrent for these things?

They're near an inch long, and beefy, a few of the ones I got today could easily bench press a good sized mouse, and probably beat the stuffing out of it first.
I also have a salt gun I tried shooting them with, direct hit at point blank range with a full load of Morton's didn't even make them flinch.
Almost forgot, there are two kinds, black ones and red ones. The black guys are tough but dumb (don't judge me, it's just an observation), the red guys have a bad attitude and no reverse. I popped one them two times today and he came back for more.

 

[WelshBloke]

http://www.theexecutioner.co.uk/html/about.html

 

[Greenman]

http://www.theexecutioner.co.uk/html/about.html

I like that. I'll give it a whirl.
I also found traps, though the reviews are mixed.

 

[jmagg]

I'd try to find their bore hole homes and douse them in the morning with the killer fluid before they come out to play. They are aggressive sobs but not sure they sting.

 

[mrblotto]

I think they do sting. I had one bore a hole into one of the wheelbarrow handles unbeknownst to me. So I go to get it, grab the handle, and man it hurt. It had burrowed a good inch and a half in. Hate those things!

 

[preCRT]

https://www.harborfreight.com/electronic-fly-swatter-62577.html

 

[WelshBloke]

I like that. I'll give it a whirl.

Get one with a decent bit of power! The good ones make a satisfying BANG!

 

[WilliamM2]

I think they do sting. I had one bore a hole into one of the wheelbarrow handles unbeknownst to me. So I go to get it, grab the handle, and man it hurt. It had burrowed a good inch and a half in. Hate those things!

The females bore holes to lay eggs, and they can sting. The males don't have a stinger.

 

[mztykal]

I use brakecleen on them. Works instantly.

 

[Greenman]

I use brakecleen on them. Works instantly.

I'm trying to avoid WMD, though that option is on the table.

 

[jtworldwide3]

i have a tennis racket on use on them. Usually get them with one shot

 

[lxskllr]

I get one or two per year, and they bore into the frame around my front door. I put a stick in the hole and break it off. I have sticks sticking out around the frame now :^D I need to get around to properly filling them. Irritating, but all I can do is laugh, and marvel at the well cut holes. A shame they can't be trained. They'd make good cordless drills :^P

 

[Greenman]

i have a tennis racket on use on them. Usually get them with one shot

I already realized I need larger ordnance. A fly swatter just doesn't have the stopping power I need. I ordered one of those high voltage giant sized electric swatters. Shit's about to get real in my back yard.

 

[Greenman]

I get one or two per year, and they bore into the frame around my front door. I put a stick in the hole and break it off. I have sticks sticking out around the frame now :^D I need to get around to properly filling them. Irritating, but all I can do is laugh, and marvel at the well cut holes. A shame they can't be trained. They'd make good cordless drills :^P

They do drill a nice hole. While I admire the craftsmanship, I can't approve of them using my patio cover to display it.

 

[IronWing]

Plant poles around the yard to give them something else to chew on. Carpenter bees like tall skinny stuff to drill.

 

[Greenman]

Plant poles around the yard to give them something else to chew on. Carpenter bees like tall skinny stuff to drill.

Don't we all?

 

[Scarpozzi]

Carpenter Bees do this...they bore a hole, go up....make a 90 degree turn and then through that tunnel lay eggs.... That's when they do what honey bees and others do...they start putting up walls to enclose their young. This means, when you see a hole, unless it's housing an adult bee....you can spray all kinds of stuff in it and it's just going to dry before the baby bees every come out.

This is the kind of solution to go with....get a powder that doesn't dry up and sticks to the bee:
https://www.domyown.com/carpenter-b...oaAvhX9d3vIBkJ1IfmJqykme9-oFW_TEaAqDOEALw_wcB

I saw a few that could be squirted in...then you could get a standard sized cork to shove in the hole... I never tried it, but it's the best way to handle things before you finally wrap all your wood in vinyl or aluminum.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

This is the kind of solution to go with....get a powder that doesn't dry up and sticks to the bee:
https://www.domyown.com/carpenter-b...oaAvhX9d3vIBkJ1IfmJqykme9-oFW_TEaAqDOEALw_wcB

I saw a few that could be squirted in...then you could get a standard sized cork to shove in the hole... I never tried it, but it's the best way to handle things before you finally wrap all your wood in vinyl or aluminum.

+1. I think this is similar to what professional exterminators use. My mom has a log cabin vacation spot. It was getting torn up by these little devils. Sure it was fun to occasionally take one out with a well timed wiffle ball bat swat but the damage they were doing to soffit and fascia was accelerating. Time to call in the pros. They meticulously dusted all the holes. Wiped most of them out. The exterminators came back and did a second treatment about a month later. That took care of the few remaining bees. It's been 4 years since the treatments and the bees are just now starting to come back. For the $350.- she spent it was well worth it. Compared that to a real carpenter replacing a few hundred linear feet of soffit. Yikes.

 

[boomerang]

I can see the thread has died but the links below just came in an email so I thought I'd post them. I had purchased a product to kill ants around the outside of the house from these people and it worked fantastic.

https://store.doyourownpestcontrol....ransactional&utm_campaign=carpenter_bees_2018

https://store.doyourownpestcontrol....ransactional&utm_campaign=carpenter_bees_2018

https://store.doyourownpestcontrol....ransactional&utm_campaign=carpenter_bees_2018