IS IT A CARPENTER BEE OR A BUMBLE BEE?
This summer, when you are outside inspecting your house, you might see large, black bees hovering around your house. It is important to know exactly what kind of bees they are. If they are carpenter bees, then they may be making nests in the structure of your home. There is no need to build bumble bee traps since they are not the ones that damage your house.
CARPENTER BEES OR BUMBLE BEES
Carpenter bees somewhat look like bumble bees. However, the upper surface of their abdomen is bare and shiny black. Bumble bees have a hairy abdomen with at least some yellow parts.
Even though the two species look similar, their nesting habits are very different from each other. Bumble bees make their nests in the ground, and carpenter bees dig into wood to lay their eggs. Carpenter bees prefer unpainted wood. If you paint or pressure-treat the wood on your house, then the bees are more likely to pass up on it.
MORE ABOUT CARPENTER BEES
In the United States, there are two types of carpenter bees. There are large carpenter bees and small carpenter bees. The large carpenter bees are the ones that are most likely to damage your house. Both the males and the females have yellow hairs on their legs, thorax, and abdomen. However, those hairs aren’t as numerous as they are on bumble bees. Carpenter bees are also solitary insects that do not organize into colonies.
You might find carpenter bees on doors, window sills, roof eaves, railings, decks, and wooden lawn furniture.
Carpenter bees have four stages in their life. These stages are the egg, larval, pupal, and adult states. It takes about seven weeks for a carpenter bee to become an adult. When the bees become adults, they remain in the nest for a number of weeks and then leave in April or May.
SIGNS OF A CARPENTER BEE INFESTATION
Infestations of carpenter bees are identified by their entrance holes in wood. There will be some sawdust on the ground where the hole is made. There will also be a yellowish combination of pollen and bee excrement near the entrance hole.
CARPENTER BEE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
You need to get a thorough inspection performed by a pest management professional. The PMP will inspect the outside of your house to locate where the damage is. After the inspection, a pest control plan is put together. The best way to control the problem is to put an insecticide in the holes and leave the holes open for a few days. This way, any bees that return to the nest will come into contact with the insecticide and will die. After the bees die, the holes can be sealed off and repainted.
Many times, it will also be wise to apply a spray to kill off any free flying carpenter bees. You can apply a liquid insecticide to the wood surface, but this will only take care of the problem temporarily.
To prevent any future infestations, you can paint any bare, exposed wood surfaces with exterior paint or a polyurethane finish. Your PMP may also recommend that any unused holes in the structure be sealed up to prevent any new nests from forming.
Carpenter bees can significantly damage the structure of your house, so they must be eliminated before they can do any serious damage. It is always wise to hire a pest management professional so that the job will be done thoroughly.
For another preventative measure, you should use BeesNThings Carpenter Bee Traps. These traps are:
– EPA compliant
– Designed in a very attractive way
– Great for catching tons of bees
– Patented and proven
No chemicals or tools are needed to install the traps.
The way that the trap works is that bees are initially attracted to the trap by sight. The bee goes inside the trap and can’t figure out how to get out of it. You can put the trap in a place where the bees are swarming. The jar is removable so that it can be emptied.
