I have a problem with Carpenter Bees boring wholes in the eaves of my house and in my barn. Painting the wood serface works to prevent the bees from boring new holes, but they continue to use the old holes.......and there are hundreds! Does anyone know of a souloution that works? Thank you. Adrienne

-- Adrienne Grass (AdrienneA_Grass@hotmail.com), October 24, 2000

Answers

I may be misinformed, but I was told that although the bees do make holes in the wood, that the holes are not deep enough to do actual structural damage. Unsightly, maybe (if that's your perspective) but not dangerous. If you can get up there, staple some window screening over the holes, although please be kind and wait until they are done using them for the year so that you don't staple them in and starve them to death. They do quite a lot of the pollination these days, especially now that honeybee populations have dropped greatly, so if you get rid of them all, expect to lower your yield by a small percentage.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), October 24, 2000.

Heck -- people are PAYING money for logs with carpenter bees in them!! So many of our honeybees are dead from pesticides and parasites, that these are one of our most important pollinators anymore. Why not get some old fenceposts or other scrap lumber and try drilling some holes into them for the bees to transfer to? Plug holes without bees on the side of your house gradually and they may be encouraged to move to the new digs. If I were you (and I'm envying you your bees!!), I'd then haul them on off to the garden or orchard area.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), October 24, 2000.

I have tried and had luck with moth balls. I just put them in a mesh bag and hang it in the area of the bees. and they do dammage the wood I have cut old 2 X 6's where bees have been and found a lot of dammage Grant

-- Grant (organicgrange@yahoo.com), October 24, 2000.

Organic gardening had a artical on making a house for them out of a block of wood by drilling holes and hanging it. I will see if i can find the artical maybe thay would like that and leave your house alone.

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), October 24, 2000.