How to bumout and discourage carpenter bees. Cover their nesting tunnel holes with duct tape. Here's how:
Now wait for the diligent little sucker to start trying to 'break out' because he/she thinks "heck it's just thin cloth. Voila"! Eventually, it's little white nose will poke through a small hole in the thick sticky wall. Then it will probably, foolishly try to squeeze its body out when the hole is just barely large enough.
There's a "sticky" little problem here because it's hairy torso will become hopelessly glued in the tape's tough adhesive and here it will probably remain till death, unable to get out or back into the tunnel again. (This will be a nano-trophy-for the vindictive!)
However, if you're in a hurry and don't need any nano trophies. When you see there's a hole started in the tape - just peel your tape up, move it over an inch and stick it down once again. This forces the poor little critter to start clawing at the stinky, powerful adhesive wall all over again. Soon you'll notice bees moving away from places of human activity (such as your deck railing)! :)
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Carpenter bees must be dealt with, but are valuable as pollinators. I painted my outdoor wood as an effective deterrent. They only buzz your wood during mating/breeding or when sunny. My mother hung tarps over her railing and clipped them together at the bottom, thus preventing them from entering and drilling. They don't like water. Water is expensive so you cannot keep your sprinkler on all the time, but you can while they are hunting for a nest, or, like me (time-consuming), I keep a handy spray bottle with crushed garlic in it and zap them while mating in the air or reconnaissance.
Agree with Mary - cruel.
Marg
I was weeding around my fence, not anywhere around any nesting carpenter bees, when I was attacked by a swarm of them. I simply heard one buzz go by, then they attacked. I cannot tell how many times I was stung, as many stung me on my head (and arms, hands, neck, upper body, and back). I am NOT allergic to bee stings, but did not respond to the three shots given to me by my doctor--thank God I had someone to take me to the medical center, then hospital. My body/organs started shutting down, and I easily could have died. I was bedridden for about a week, unable to even use the bathroom without help. I wasn't wearing any alluring colors, nor did I have any perfumes, scented deodorant, hairspray, etc, on.
Well I am an elem teacher of Science and work hard for my money. They love treated wood and come back every year. They have ruined many of my things. When the bees are done put steel wool in the hole and clear caulking made for wood. They will drill another hole but keep at it. Also you can go online under self pestcontrol and buy a duster. Then you buy a powder and dust the holes. If you search online there is something you can do with a bottle but yall will say that's cruel.
Oh "the bottle" method ! I do it too: 1) short, worn 4x4 post, 2) drill 1 or 2 slant holes which meet the vertical bottle hole drilled in bottom of wood piece. 3) insert a bottle in base (large hole) & wrap sides of clear bottle with tape 1-2" high(hides your dieing prisoners from bees on outside!) 4) place wood horizontally overhanging porch rail, floor etc.
Ahhem, "cruel" is deliberately seeking to kill masses of them for fun. The bees going for my fence etc I don't bother since it's non structural wood. But karma makes some beings walk into traps while others avoid them. Even Buddha said we shouldn't go to extremes letting insects take over our entire dwellings!
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