How to Prevent Carpenter Bee Damage

Carpenter bees are a common problem for homeowners in New York. These large, black bees can cause significant damage to wooden structures, including homes, decks, and fences. If you’re a homeowner in New York, it’s important to take a few preventative measures to protect your home from carpenter bee damage.

Key Carpenter Bee Facts

First, let’s start with a few basics so you better understand the behavior of carpenter bees.

• Carpenter bees begin nesting in the spring and become active during the height of summer as eggs hatch and adult bees make and store nectar.
• Carpenter bees are solitary; each female carving out her own nest. Instead of one hive, a carpenter bee infestation means dozens of holes and nesting cavities are bored into your property.
• Carpenter bees, unlike termites, don’t eat wood. Instead, they chew out entry holes and tunnel out egg and nectar galleries that can reach over two inches in diameter and extend more than a foot into the wood.
• Carpenter bee holes attract other pests from wasps to wood peckers, so it is important to catch the problem as soon as you can.

How to Identify a Carpenter Bee Problem

The first sign of a carpenter bee problem is usually the appearance of perfectly round holes in wood surfaces, such as your home’s siding, trim, or outdoor structures like decks and fences. These holes are created by the female carpenter bees, who bore into the wood to create nests.

You may also notice sawdust or wood shavings around the holes. Another sign of a carpenter bee problem is the presence of the bees. As mentioned, they are large, black bees, and can often be seen flying around the area where they are nesting.

How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees

Removing carpenter bees is not a simple process. Do-it-yourself treatments often cause more damage than the initial infestation.

We recommend the following steps:

1. Get a professional inspection. An inspection by a professional doesn’t take much time or money. In the long-run, though, it can save you thousands of dollars. Professionals know where to look and what to look for, often finding problems the average person might miss.
2. Insist on a two-step carpenter bee extermination process. The first step involves killing the adults. The second takes care of eliminating the larva. If you kill the adults and seal the hole, the larva will eventually hatch and bore escape holes to get out of the gallery.
3. Make sure your carpenter bee exterminator seals the holes with steel wool so that other bees and bests can’t reopen the holes. Make sure a surface treatment is applied to the infestation site and other sites at risk for infestation to prevent future problems. Schedule regular inspections to make sure the carpenter bees do not come back

Let’s Knock Out Your Carpenter Bee Infestation

Preventing carpenter bee damage to your New York home is essential to maintain its integrity and prevent costly repairs. Regular maintenance, sealing gaps and cracks, pressure-treated or painted wood, bee traps, and professional pest control are all effective ways to prevent carpenter bees from nesting and causing damage. If you suspect that you have a carpenter bee infestation, it’s important to take action as soon as possible to prevent further damage.

If you’ve tried these tips and still find yourself dealing with carpenter bees, it’s time to call in the local pest control experts—Knockout Pest Control. Our team will help you identify the source of the infestation and take steps to remove the bees safely and effectively. We can also offer tips and advice on how to prevent future infestations and keep your home safe from carpenter bee damage.

To schedule an estimate, call (800) 244-7378.