The fat bees are back, as are the tiny holes they love to drill in decks and porches.
Carpenter bees (not to be confused with bumblebees or honeybees) are large bees with shiny, black tail sections. They have strong jaws, which they use to dig tunnels in wood for next year’s habitat.
They are massively ecologically important, serving as effective pollinators in the Triangle.
But because of the holes they leave behind, some people are wondering how they can get rid of them.
We learned more about carpenter bees drilling into your home and got some expert advice to divert them elsewhere (though you might actually want them to stay!). Here’s what we learned.
What are carpenter bees?
Carpenter bees are important pollinators for spring and summer plants, as well as food for birds and other animals, said Sydney Crawley, NC State Extension specialist for insects and vertebrate pests.
They’re solitary bees, which means they don’t live with other bees and form colonies.
The female bees will tunnel inside wood to gather pollen and lay their eggs, and they typically return to the same tunnel each year. These tunnels can be in trees, picnic tables, a deck or your porch.
For more information on carpenter bees, visit content.ces.ncsu.edu/carpenter-bees and union.ces.ncsu.edu.
Do carpenter bees sting?
Most carpenter bees you see don’t have stingers, meaning they couldn’t sting you even if they tried.
The majority of the carpenter bees buzzing around are male. You can identify them by the white spot on their faces.
“Male carpenter bees are territorial and will harass perceived intruders. However, their lack of a stinger precludes them from doing any real damage,” Crawley said.
“They are all bark and no bite — or all buzz and no stinger,” she said.
Female carpenter bees do have stingers, but it’s rare you’ll see them. And they’ll only sting you if they’re confined in your hand or incredibly agitated.
How to safely get rid of carpenter bees
Before you rush to kill carpenter bees, know that they contribute greatly to NC’s agricultural landscape. Pollinators such as the carpenter bee make NC’s produce possible.
But if you’re sick of seeing tiny drillings around your home, here’s how you can divert these bees elsewhere:
• Use dummy wood: Put out a plank or two of carpenter bees’ favorite wood, that way they’ll gnaw through this wood instead of your deck or furniture.
Unvarnished, soft wood (such as pine, cedar and spruce) is the most attractive choice, as they avoid most hardwood, Crawley said.
After the holes have been drilled, you can move this wood to your preferred location, if you want the bees out of your yard.
• Paint your wood: Polyurethane or oil-based paints are some of the most recommended paints to divert the bees, Crawley said.
It’s important to check paint and ensure it has not weathered or peeled off, which would allow bees easier access to this wood.
Note: Staining wood does not prevent carpenter bees from drilling, she said.
• Avoid insecticides: “We don’t need more bee-toxic substances in the environment when we have so many other species of bees that we are trying to support!” Elsa Youngsteadt, an assistant professor in NC State’s Department of Applied Ecology, told The N&O last year.
If you feel strongly about killing these bees, you can puff sevin dust into carpenter bee tunnels while they’re nesting.
This should be done in the evening while bees are in their nests, she said.
• Or learn to love them: Some say it’s a compliment to have carpenter bees around.
“While I understand that many people are concerned about them nesting in wooden structures, I personally do not share the sentiment,” Hannah K. Levenson of NC State’s Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology told The N&O last year.
“I built a wooden bench last year and was happy that a female carpenter bee quickly made a nest and moved in! … If carpenter bees are present in someone’s yard that means they are providing a good habitat for them, which some could take as a compliment.”
If you have questions about insect management, you can contact your county’s NC State Extension office and get connected with an expert. To find your local office, visit ces.ncsu.edu/local-county-center.
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