Rochester Exterminating

Since many of us wouldn't know a carpenter bee from a spelling bee, let's take a look at some of the characteristics of this troublesome pest.

Carpenter bees are large, robust insects that look a lot like bumblebees. A distinctive difference: they have a bare shiny black abdomen, while bumblebees have a hairy abdomen with yellow markings.

Male carpenter bees, identified by the bright yellow spot in the middle of the head, are aggressive but lack stingers. Female carpenter bees can sting if antagonized. Carpenter bees can cause extensive damage to soffits, fascia and other wooden members. These bees prefer soft wood such as California redwood, cedar, white pine or poplar.

If not thwarted, they actually burrow right into homes, boring holes as large as a half-inch round in wood to create tunnels in which to raise their young. Left unchecked, they continue to produce new offspring and infest the property.

Adult carpenter bees emerge from winter sites in old nest tunnels to mate in the spring. The femal prepares a nest by boring a new tunnel in wooden structures or more often by cleaning our and expanding an existing one.

Tunnels can run from several inches to ten feet in length. After the nest is ready, she places a mass of pollen mixed with nectar in the back of the tunnel, lays an egg on it, and builds a partition of chewed wood pulp to form a brood cell.

Six to eight brood cells are constructed in each tunnel. Bee larvae develop on the pollen/nectar mix and emerge as adults 30 to 40 days later in the late summer.

Property owners are encouraged to limit the conditions that attract or support carpenter bees. A good place to start is to replace infested wood with treated lumber, not only on the home itself, but on any surrounding wood structures.

Carpenter bees can use unprotected outdoor wood such as garden trellises or porch structures as springboards or highways to invade the home. Several coats of paint or varnish on wood structures discourage boring, however wood stains or sealants usually do not prevent tunneling.

Where vinyl siding and other manmade materials are common, it is important to close and seal cracks and gaps that can give carpenter bees access to the wood underneath such materials.

There are a number of options to eliminate carpenter bee problems. Over-the-counter treatments may kill adult carpenter bees, but they are unable to penetrate deep into their galleries where immature bees develop. Deep injection treatment of individual nesting tunnels is usually necessary for initial control.

Periodic applications of commercial-grade repellent insecticides to susceptible wood surfaces help deter boring and tunneling. Holes should be plugged in the fall to deter future nesting.

A professional maintenance program can help prevent further problems with carpenter bees nesting in and around a home's structure.

# # #

Published June 21, 2008 in The Buffalo News Home Finder