The Three Things You Need To Know About Carpenter Bees

By Author: Steve Lum
Total Articles: 41
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One of the biggest fears for homeowners is pests that can damage or destroy wood of their home. The last thing you want is something tunneling or even eating through your biggest investment. Carpenter bees are one of the pests that can cause big headaches for homeowners. They do hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to home just like yours every single year, and keeping them out of your home is an absolute must.

In this case, a little understand, though, can go a long way. Fortunately, you just need 3 essential pieces of information to move forward.

1. Carpenter Bees Do not Actually Eat the Wood: While many think carpenter bees work in the same manner as termites, that’s just not the case. Carpenter bees are tunneling through the wood in your home to build a nest. The entrance hole itself is usually about the diameter of your finger, and it’s almost always perfectly round. You can see the sawdust from the holes just beneath the entry hole where they’ve excavated. The extent of the damage, though, can be quite serious. They may nest in it year after year, which means you could have nearly hollow wood ...
... if an infestation continues.

2. Soft, Bare Wood Is Their Favorite: Carpenter bees aren’t attracted to all wood types. They love bare, unpainted wood that’s very easy to tunnel in. They like dead wood, as well as yellow and white pine, redwood, cedar, Douglas fir, cypress, and pecan trees. They tend to avoid hard woods and painted or stained structures. As a result, simply keeping the wood outside your home in good condition is an excellent way to prevent an attack on your home. If you paint or varnish any surfaces that are exposed, fill in depressions and cracks, and repair damage done immediately, it will be far less attractive to these pests.

3. Treat Carefully, Then Repair: Treating for carpenter bees doesn’t just mean grabbing a can of something off the hardware store shelves. Because this pest can be fairly pervasive and destroy your home at the same time, you’ll want to be pretty careful. You have to wait until the bees have emerged from their tunnels before you can actually fill them in. The other real problem with DIY treatment methods is that carpenter bees are actually beneficial insects. They help pollinate many of the world’s plant species, so while you don’t want them in your home, you also don’t want to completely wipe them out. As a result, cautious use of any type of chemical application is an absolute must.

Carpenter bees can do serious damage to your home, and as with many pests, prevention is the single best thing you can do to help protect your property. If you think you’re infested or you simply want to learn more about protecting your home, contact Slug-A-Bug, your Melbourne pest professionals.

Article Source: Slug-A-Bug