Spring is the time of year Carpenter Bees are most active. These bees burrow into exposed, untreated wood and create galleries to lay their eggs. On your home, facia, soffit, exposed window and door frames facing the the sunniest side of the house are most affected.
These robust bees resemble Bumble Bees but their abdomen is black and shiny, and the Bumble Bee is fuzzy all over. Also, Carpenter Bees are solitary bees and do not create hives, where Bumble Bees are social bees that create hives with different generations and have a queen. Because of this, Bumble Bees can be defensive and aggressive if you approach or disturb their hive. Carpenter Bees are not aggressive, and while the females can sting, they do not defend the gallery they are creating. Males are aggressive, but it is all bluff. They have no stingers and can not bite you.
Evidence of Carpenter Bee damage is the perfect 1/2" hole the female makes. Once inside the wood, she makes a 90 degree turn and excavates a gallery about an inch wide, The length of the gallery can vary from a few inches to over a foot or more in length. Galleries are frequently re-used .In addition to the damage this causes, birds such as woodpeckers will peck through exterior to get to the larva the gallery contains.
To prevent Carpenter Bees from infesting exposed wood, it is recommended treating the wood with an oil based paint or a good polyurethane varnish.
If wood is not treated this way and you experience and infestation, we can help. First, we make sure all galleries are treated with insecticidal dust and then plugged once we know the female has exited. Second, we treat the expose wood with a repellent insecticide. It is recommended to repeat this treatment monthly during the time of year Carpenter Bees are most active.
