Carpenter Bees Are Drilling Into Your Home Right Now. See What New York Homeowners Need to Know

If you’ve spotted large, low-flying bees hovering around your eaves, deck, or fascia boards this spring, you’re not imagining things, and you’re not alone. Carpenter bees are one of the most active wood-destroying pests across Long Island, NYC, and Westchester right now. At Knockout Pest Control, we’ve been protecting New York homes since 1975, and carpenter bee calls climb every spring as these insects start drilling into siding, decks, railings, and trim. Here’s what every homeowner needs to know.

What Carpenter Bees Look Like (And Why They’re Often Misidentified)

Carpenter bees are often mistaken for bumble bees because they’re similar in size, about an inch long. The key difference is their abdomen. Bumble bees are covered in dense yellow and black hair, while carpenter bees have a smooth, shiny black abdomen. Bumble bees nest socially in the ground, while carpenter bees are solo builders that tunnel into wood.

Only the female has a stinger, and she rarely uses it. The males you’ll see dive-bombing your head are aggressive but harmless. Don’t let that intimidating buzz fool you, though. The real damage is happening on the wood behind them.

How Carpenter Bees Damage Your New York Home

Each female carpenter bee bores a perfectly round, dime-sized hole into untreated or weathered wood, then tunnels in to lay her eggs. Common targets across Long Island include:

• Eaves, fascia boards, and soffits
• Wooden decks, railings, and stair posts
• Pergolas, sheds, and outdoor furniture
• Wood siding, window trim, and door frames

A single hole sounds harmless. The problem is repetition. Carpenter bees return to the same wood year after year, with new generations expanding old tunnels. Over time, that creates galleries that weaken structural wood. Worse, woodpeckers can hear the larvae inside and tear chunks of wood apart trying to reach them, turning a small hole into major siding damage.

Signs You Already Have a Carpenter Bee Problem

Walk the perimeter of your home this spring and check for:

• Smooth, round 1/2-inch holes in wood (a giveaway sign)
• Coarse sawdust piles directly below those holes
• Yellow staining streaking down siding or trim
• Large bees hovering in the same spot day after day
• Holes from past seasons being reopened or extended

If you see two or more of these signs, the colony is established and will keep growing without intervention.

Why DIY Solutions Usually Fail

Plugging holes too early traps active bees inside, and untreated wood near the entry remains a target. Sprays from the hardware store kill the bee at the entrance but don’t reach the larvae deeper in the gallery. Effective control requires the right product, the right timing, and a professional who can identify every active hole, including the ones you can’t see from the ground.

Knockout’s New York Approach to Carpenter Bees

Carpenter bees are covered under our KO-12 Annual Program, and our technicians complete more than 100 hours of training in green, GreenPro-certified pest management. Whether you’re in Nassau County, Suffolk County, NYC, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Westchester, or Rockland County, we know exactly how to knock these wood-borers out before damage spreads.

Call (800) 244-7378 or request a free estimate today.